Riva degli Schiavoni Historical Timeline

Origins

The shore was first built up as early as the 9th century, with a significant expansion in 1060 through the reclamation of marshy ground, and received its first paving, in terracotta, in 1324.

Turning points

The riva takes its name from the Slavic merchants of Dalmatia -- then known in Venice as Schiavonia, or Slavonia -- who landed cargo here and set up trading stalls along the waterfront; "Schiavoni" meant "Slavs" in old Italian. In 1172, an assassination attempt on Doge Vitale II Michiel took place on the riva; the attacker's house was destroyed in retaliation, and Venice imposed a ban on stone construction along the site that, remarkably, held until 1948.

Influential people

The promenade's current, much wider form dates only to the late 18th century -- its enlargement was formally approved in 1780 and completed in 1782, transforming a narrow medieval shore into the grand public artery it is today, linking the Doge's Palace to the Arsenale.

Cultural evolution

Notable buildings line the riva today, including the Hotel Danieli in its former palazzo, and Santa Maria della Pietà, the church where Antonio Vivaldi worked as maestro di violino -- together with a bronze monument to Victor Emmanuel II, erected in 1887.

Present-day significance

Riva degli Schiavoni remains one of Venice's most famous streets, walked by nearly every visitor moving between Piazza San Marco and Castello, and one of the classic vantage points for photographing St. Mark's Basin and the island of San Giorgio Maggiore across the water.