Mercato di Rialto

Nestled on the eastern bank of the Grand Canal, the Mercato di Rialto is the economic soul of Venice. Established over centuries and thriving by 1400 AD, the market bustles with color, scents, and voices by day — and becomes a very different place once darkness falls. It is here that Venice’s wealth flows in like the tide: spices from the Levant, silks from Byzantium, fish from the lagoon, and gossip from every corner of Christendom.

Even amid plague, papal schism, and political intrigue, the Rialto remains a constant — a place of trade, temptation, and transformation. For Kindred, the market is more than a mortal bazaar. It is a hunting ground, a theatre of influence, and a site of clandestine meetings between factions, both vampire and otherwise.

The Rialto Market is divided into sections:

• Erberia: fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs, mostly sourced from the lagoon’s islands.
• Pescaria: fishmongers who call out their wares from marble counters before dawn.
• Spezieria: exotic spices, incense, and pigments from the Orient.
• Mercerie: luxury goods, fabrics, and trinkets tempting nobles and merchants alike.
• Banco Giro: the financial heart — where Venetian bankers and moneylenders ply their trade.

Merchants haggle with nobles, sailors flirt with courtesans, pickpockets vanish into the crowd — all beneath the imposing shadow of the Rialto Bridge, the city’s oldest span across the Grand Canal. The market is also home to several Scuole Grandi and guild headquarters, making it a magnet for guild officials and political operatives.

By Night

As night descends and the shutters fall, Rialto changes. The mortal clamor gives way to whispers. Blood is traded in shadowed arcades, oaths are sworn in salt-stained warehouses, and thralls wait for their masters in alleyways beside closed apothecaries.

• The Nosferatu haunt the deeper cellars and canals beneath the market, using the stench and chaos above to mask their movements.
• The Ventrue use the financial heart of Rialto to pull strings among mortal bankers and merchants, feeding subtly on influence.
• The Toreador lounge in silk-draped rooms above the spice stalls, taking pleasure in the sensuality of worldly indulgence.
• The Tremere, always seeking rare ingredients, have eyes among the spice merchants and apothecaries.

The market is not an official Elysium, but neutral ground is often observed near Banco Giro and the old wine cellars — enforced by the will of the Prince. Duels of words, not fangs, are fought here.