In the maze of alleys behind Campo Manin and the Bovolo spiral staircase, Calle de la Cortesia hosts an unexpected burst of contemporary street art, where a large spray-painted winged heart inscribed “You End Me” transforms a disused metal storefront into a canvas of modern Venetian urban poetry.
At a glance
- Location
- Calle de la Cortesia, civico 3713, Sestiere di San Marco, Venice
- Medium
- Freehand aerosol spray paint, stencils, and multi-layered wheat-paste posters on sheet metal
- Motif
- Split winged heart in vivid magenta, handwritten declaration “YOU END ME”, and collage of underground stickers
- Urban context
- Quiet residential calle linking Campo Manin with the Scala Contarini del Bovolo
- Conservation note
- Painted strictly on removable metal shutters and utility security doors, adhering to Venice’s non-destructive street art etiquette that respects historic masonry
- Coordinates
- 45.43508° N, 12.33357° E · Open in Google Maps
Calle de la Cortesia & Venetian Toponymy
In Venetian dialect, “Cortesia” (Courtesy) is a poetic street name rooted in local mercantile and social history. Historically, the calle formed part of the bustling network of passages connecting the banking hub of Campo Manin (formerly Campo San Paternian) with the Grand Canal. Rather than referencing a noble dynasty, the name commemorates the gracious reputation of a long-vanished local inn or shopkeeper whose polite hospitality stood out to travellers and neighbourhood locals alike.
Today, the calle offers a quiet, shaded respite from the congested corridors leading between the Rialto and Piazza San Marco. Lined with residential apartments, antique workshops, and quiet courtyards, it preserves an authentic residential atmosphere.
The “You End Me” Intervention
Because Venice strictly penalises the tagging or defacement of centuries-old Istrian stone and brickwork, local and visiting street artists have established a clear self-imposed protocol: murals, wheat-pastes, and stencils are confined exclusively to modern galvanised utility covers, construction hoardings, and decommissioned metal entrance shutters.
At civico 3713, the metal entrance door has become an evolving vertical gallery of contemporary urban interventions. Dominating the upper panels is a bold, expressionistic magenta heart flanked by stylized wings, crowned by the word “YOU” and completed below by “END ME” in stark black and white lettering. Surrounding the heart, layers of stickers, gig flyers, and street artist tags from international creators create a palimpsest of modern counter-culture set within the Gothic framework of San Marco.
Practical information
- Access: Freely visible 24 hours a day in a public pedestrian street
- Photography: The vertical calle receives filtered natural daylight around midday; best captured with wide-angle lens
Nearby
- Scala Contarini del Bovolo — Famous Renaissance spiral staircase, 90 m southeast
- Campo Manin — Monumental square with monument to Daniele Manin, 60 m east
- Campo San Luca — Central crossroads of Venice, 120 m northeast
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →Record researched and written by Carla Szathvary for Cultural Heritage Online, 2026.
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