Venice Street Signs

in Venetian Dialect

ABOVE: "Giovanni e Paolo" or "Zanipolo"? The spelling depends on whether you're reading Venetian or standard Italian.

Venice has plenty of street signs (mostly painted or mounted on the sides of buildings), but they can be confusing if you're looking for a address from a guidebook or a street name on a map.

The reason for the confusion is simple:

Most signs are in Venetian dialect, which can be slightly, moderately, or radically different from standard Italian. For example, the campo and church of "Giovanni e Paolo" (see photo above) is rendered "Zanipolo" in Venetian dialect. Other spellings vary by only a letter or two and aren't likely to cause worry. My advice:

• Use common sense: If the map suggests that you're in the right place and the street sign looks reasonably accurate, the odds are good that you aren't lost.

• Be prepared for surprises: A saint might have a campo, a calle larga, and a fondamenta named after him, and each variant could be in a different neighborhood. Have a rough idea of where you're going, and you'll be less likely to encounter confusion.

Examples of Venetian dialect vs. Italian spellings:

	Venetian Dialect: "Marzaria San Zulian" Standard Italian: "Merceria di San Giuliano"
	Venetian Dialect: "Sestier de Santa Crose" Standard Italian: "Sestiere di Santa Croce"
	Venetian Dialect: "Campo de Gheto Novo" Standard Italian: "Campo di Ghetto Nuovo"
	Venetian Dialect: "Campiello de la Madonna" Standard Italian: "Campiello della Madonna"
	Venetian Dialect: "Salizada dei Spechieri" Standard Italian: "Salizzada dei Specchieri"

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