Waterfront Walks
Squares Full of Everyday Life
Beloved Campi
Venice's campi are its neighborhood squares, where everyday life unfolds.
They're straight out of a movie: alive with chatter, kids at play, locals unwinding, friends catching up, and sipping spritzes at sunlit, laid-back cafés.
The city has dozens of campi, as well as smaller squares known as campielli.
The word 'campo' means field in Italian, a reminder of when these spaces were grassy plots used to grow vegetables and graze animals.
We've selected 4 recommended campi spread across Venice, giving you places to pause, soak up the atmosphere, and see a more everyday side of the city.
01 |Campo Santa Margherita
Lively campo buzzing with student energy, and a great starting point for an evening out.
Come in the late afternoon and watch the campo fill with students and locals, spritzes in hand and conversation spilling out of the bars and cafés.
As evening sets in, the energy spreads into the surrounding streets, home to some of Venice's liveliest bars and pubs.
But to set expectations right, the nightlife here is more convivial than wild.
02 |Campo San Giacomo
Local square with more greenery than most Venetian campi, offering a rare sense of space and an authentic glimpse of everyday Venetian life.
A rare green corner of Venice - this irregular campo, wrapped around its namesake church, is shadier and leafier than most.
03 |Jewish Ghetto
Historic Jewish neighborhood from which the term 'ghetto' originated.
The term “ghetto” originated right here, in the area where Jews were compelled to live in the 16th century.
Even today, echoes of this incredible past are still palpable.
04 |Campo Santa Maria Formosa
Laid-back square lined with inviting cafés and framed by elegant historic buildings.
Recharge at one of the inviting cafés on this charming square, framed by elegant historic buildings and their signature Venetian Gothic windows.
Find your Venice
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