Is Mercerie Shopping Streets worth it for photographers?
DependsFor photos
For beauty & photography, Mercerie Shopping Streets is hit or miss.
The Mercerie is the historic retail artery linking the Rialto to St Mark's — and as a 'Verdict' it's mostly a warning. It's the single most jammed pedestrian funnel in the city, and the 'Venetian' masks and glass crammed into its windows are largely imported. The genuine craft is a few calli off it, not on it: for real papier-mâché Carnival masks go to Ca' Macana in Dorsoduro (making them by hand from gesso molds since 1984, and you can watch or take a workshop); for certified glass, buy only pieces carrying the Vetro Artistico Murano trademark, ideally on Murano itself. Use the Mercerie to walk between the two squares, not to shop.
The Mercerie has been Venice's main shopping route between the Rialto and Piazza San Marco for centuries and is among its most crowded streets. · model-knowledge
Much mask and glass merchandise sold along tourist routes is imported rather than locally handmade. · model-knowledge