Secrets & Seduction: The Art and History of Desire

When Teatro La Fenice opened its doors in 1792, Venice had already mastered the art of turning everything into spectacle — politics, pleasure, religion, and sin […]

Walk past San Zaccaria today, and you’ll see what looks like any other beautiful Venetian church — towering marble, delicate columns, soft Renaissance light filtering through […]

At first glance, the Jewish Ghetto of Venice seems like an unlikely setting for seduction. Narrow passages, high walls, locked gates, and strict curfews—designed not to […]

If the Ridotto was Venice’s official stage for temptation, then Palazzo Dandolo was its private backstage — the place where pleasure no longer needed an audience. […]

In 1638, while much of Europe was still hunting witches or hanging whores, Venice did what Venice always did: it opened a casino. They called it […]

Santa Croce doesn’t look like much today. Tourists hurry through it on the way to the bus station, dragging suitcases over uneven stones, oblivious to what […]

Walk into Campo San Polo today, and you’ll find children playing, tourists sipping spritz, and locals walking their dogs. It’s peaceful, even dull. But in the […]

You won’t find any neon lights or scandalous signs when you enter Rio Terà de le Carampane today. Just narrow alleys, sleepy canals, laundry hanging from […]