The Gobbo di Rialto

The route ends here, in the commercial heart of old Venice. The little church with the clock is San Giacomo di Rialto, San Giacometto to Venetians. Tradition says it was consecrated on 25 March 421, and the Republic celebrated that day as the city's birthday. The building itself is in fact much later.

1The proclamation stone

Facing the church, a stump of red granite column brought from Acre as war booty served as a rostrum. From it, the town crier read out the Republic's laws and the names of the condemned. To climb up, the steps rested on a crouching stone man: the Gobbo, "the hunchback", carved by Pietro da Salò in 1541.

2The convict's kiss

Anyone sentenced to a flogging, above all for theft, was made to run naked from St Mark's to here while being beaten, and the punishment ended when he kissed the statue. There were so many of them that in 1545 a metal cross was placed on the pillar next door for them to kiss instead. You can still see its marks.

Like Pasquino in Rome, the Gobbo "talked": anonymous satirical verses were hung on him, and he is said to have kept up a correspondence with his Roman colleague.

For dinner, you are in just the right spot: around the market, bacari and osterie that have been here for generations open their doors.

3What to look for

• The Gobbo, hunched beneath his steps.
• San Giacometto's clock, above the portico.
• The inscription on the apse, urging merchants to keep fair weights and honest contracts.