Campo dei Mori

Look at the corners: stone men in turbans and tunics, with bundles on their backs, have been watching you for centuries. They are the "Moors" who gave the campo its name, and they mix the story of a merchant family with a good handful of legends.

1The Mastelli

According to tradition, in the early 12th century three brothers named Rioba, Sandi and Afani, of the Mastelli family, arrived from the Morea, the Peloponnese, trading in silks and spices. Because they came from the Morea, people called them "mori". They built their home here, Palazzo Mastelli, recognisable from the canal by its relief of a man leading a camel. The statues are usually dated to the 13th century, although no document says when they were put in place.

2Sior Antonio Rioba

The most famous statue is Rioba, with his iron nose, added in the 19th century after he lost the original. Today people say rubbing it brings luck, which is why it shines. Like Pasquino in Rome, Rioba was a "talking statue": anonymous satirical verses were hung on him, and in 1848 a satirical newspaper took his name.

A legend says the three brothers cheated their customers and that, after swindling a woman who turned out to be Mary Magdalene, they were turned to stone.

That is all it is: a tale. What is documented is that Jacopo Tintoretto lived on the fondamenta next door until his death in 1594. He is buried in the Madonna dell'Orto, the Gothic church a few steps away.

3What to look for

• Rioba's iron nose.
• The camel relief on Palazzo Mastelli, seen from the fondamenta.
• Tintoretto's plaque on the Fondamenta dei Mori.