Osteria delle Do Spade in San Matteo
The Osteria delle Do Spade (Two Swords) is a historic Venetian bacaro located near the Rialto Market in the sestiere of San Polo, one of the oldest continuously operating wine bars in Venice. Bacari are the quintessentially Venetian institution of simple wine taverns where Venetians have gathered for centuries to drink ombra (a small glass of wine) and eat cichèti (bite-sized savoury snacks), sustaining a social culture inseparable from the city’s identity as a maritime trading republic.
At a glance
- Type
- Bacaro (traditional Venetian wine bar and osteria)
- Location
- Calle delle Do Spade, Rialto area, San Polo, Venice, Italy
- Coordinates
- 45.4392° N, 12.3334° E
- Tradition
- Venetian cichèti and ombra wine culture
Overview
The Do Spade occupies a narrow calle a few steps from the Rialto Market, the commercial heart of Venice since the 11th century, where merchants from across the Mediterranean once traded spices, silks, and glassware. The osteria’s name — Two Swords — evokes the medieval symbolism common in Venetian tavern naming. It is one of the city’s most authentic surviving examples of the bacaro format: a counter laden with cichèti, wine served by the glass, and standing room where locals mix freely.
History
Venice’s bacaro tradition dates to the era of the Serenissima (Most Serene Republic of Venice), when wine from the terraferma was unloaded at the Rialto and sold in small neighbourhood taverns. The Calle delle Do Spade, like many narrow Venetian lanes near the market, hosted wine traders and craftsmen for centuries, and the osteria’s location reflects this mercantile history. Records of wine-selling establishments near the Rialto stretch back to the 13th century, though individual businesses changed hands many times over the centuries.
What you see
The interior follows the classic bacaro layout: a wooden counter displaying rows of cichèti — small preparations of baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod), sarde in saor (sweet-and-sour sardines), polpette (meatballs), and seasonal lagoon seafood on slices of bread called francobolli. Bottles of Veneto wines line the walls, and the narrow space encourages the Venetian social custom of standing shoulder to shoulder with neighbours, market vendors, and visiting tourists alike. The calle outside, barely wide enough for two people to pass, is typical of the medieval street network that surrounds the Rialto.
Cultural significance
The bacaro culture of Venice is recognised as an intangible component of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage identity, representing a social and gastronomic tradition that survived the fall of the Republic, Austrian occupation, and the mass tourism of the 20th century. Establishments like the Do Spade are considered by Venetians as essential anchors of local life against the commercialisation of the city centre. The cichèti tradition encodes centuries of Venetian culinary ingenuity — ways to preserve, season, and present lagoon produce that evolved in a city with no agricultural hinterland.
Practical information
- Address
- Calle delle Do Spade, San Polo, Venice (near Rialto Market)
- Opening hours
- Typically open mornings through evening; check current hours — bacari often close in the afternoon
- Best time to visit
- Late morning (10:00–12:00) or early evening (18:00–20:00) for the authentic giro d’ombra experience
Getting there
Take vaporetto line 1 or 2 to the Rialto Mercato stop on the Grand Canal (San Polo bank). The osteria is a short walk through the market lanes. On foot from Piazza San Marco, allow approximately 15 minutes crossing the Rialto Bridge and following signs towards the market.