Cantine del Vino già Schiavi — Bacaro Al Bottegon
Cantine del Vino già Schiavi, known locally as Al Bottegon, is one of Venice’s most celebrated historic bacari, operating as a wine shop and cicchetti counter in Dorsoduro on the fondamenta facing Rio di San Trovaso. The establishment combines a functioning wine merchant — with floor-to-ceiling bottles from the Veneto and beyond — with an outdoor canal-front service that draws both neighbourhood regulars and visitors seeking an authentic Venetian aperitivo hour.
At a glance
- Type
- Bacaro and enoteca (wine shop with counter service)
- Period
- Historic establishment; family-run for multiple generations
- Style
- Traditional Venetian bacaro; wine retail and cicchetti counter
- Location
- Dorsoduro, Venice, Veneto, Italy
- Coordinates
- 45.4307° N, 12.3266° E
Overview
Al Bottegon occupies a fondamenta position a few metres from the squero di San Trovaso gondola yard, in the same corner of Dorsoduro that makes this stretch of canal one of the most photographed in Venice. Unlike many cicchetterie that have evolved toward the restaurant model, Schiavi has retained its identity as a wine shop first: the shelves run from floor to ceiling with bottles, and the cicchetti counter — laid out daily with inventive crostini and seasonal preparations — is the accompaniment to a serious selection of Veneto and Italian wines served by the glass (ombra).
History
The Schiavi family name has been associated with this address for generations, giving the full official name “Cantine del Vino già Schiavi” — the word già (formerly) preserving the history of the original proprietors while acknowledging subsequent ownership. The bacaro tradition itself evolved in Venice during the medieval and Renaissance period when wine arrived by barge from the mainland Veneto and was distributed from small neighbourhood depots. Dorsoduro, settled on relatively firm lagoon ground, housed many of the city’s artisan trades and their informal refreshment spots adjacent to workshops and boatyards.
What you see
The interior is a dense, atmospheric room of wooden shelving stacked with wine bottles, with a marble-topped counter running along one side where the day’s cicchetti are arranged. The outdoor fondamenta in front offers standing room along the canal, where drinkers gather with small glasses at the hour before lunch or dinner. Across the narrow rio, the timber shed of the squero di San Trovaso — one of only three working gondola yards left in Venice — frames the view with craftsmen bending hull planks over open fires.
Cultural significance
Schiavi is one of a shrinking number of bacari in Venice that has not shifted its primary identity toward tourism or restaurant service. Its persistence as a functioning wine shop with counter trade connects it to a commercial model that sustained Venetian neighbourhood life for centuries, and it is frequently cited in guides to authentic Venetian eating as a benchmark of the form.
Practical information
- Address
- Fondamenta Nani 992, Dorsoduro, 30123 Venice
- Hours
- Check official website or current listings; typically closes on Sunday and one weekday; opens for morning and evening service
- Admission
- No admission charge; counter service by the glass
Getting there
Take the vaporetto to Zattere (lines 2, 5.1, 5.2) and walk west along the Zattere waterfront, then turn north along Fondamenta Nani beside the gondola yard. From the Accademia bridge, allow approximately 10 minutes on foot heading south through Dorsoduro toward Rio di San Trovaso. The fondamenta is pedestrian-only and not accessible by water taxi.