In Venice since 1448

The history

The tavern that used to be under the signboard "Do Spade" was an historic one, since Carlo de Zuane, host at Do Spade, was the steward of the hosts guild that used to gather at S. Matteo's Church back in 1488. Also the historian Marin Sanudo mentions the tavern under the name of Spada (“sword” in Italian), or Spade, in Rialto, facing rio delle Beccherie. Moreover, the real estate registry dated 1566 reports that the “Osteria delle do Spade” in S. Matteo, together with two other small shops, belonged to the Foscari Family, and had been given for rent to a host called Battista. The wooden Spade Bridge was rebuilt in steel in 1886.

You can easily find us spotting the old sign already mentioned in 1448 by Giuseppe Tassini, who referred to “Carle de Zuane, hosto all’insegna delle Spade”, in his book Curiosità veneziane (Venetian Curiosities). In 1566 Marin Sanudo specifies: “The Osteria delle do Spade, located in S. Matteo and with two subordinate stores, belonged at the time to the Foscari family and was rented to a host called Battista”.

The Cantina Do Spade is a historical landmark in Venice, as confirmed by the names of the places around the tavern, such as the portico and the street, that also bearing the name of “Do Spade”. The Do Spade insignia was born in the late 400, in symbol of the guild of the hosts that used to gather at St. Matthew’s Church.