The Venier Casino in the district of St Mark's in Venice

When you think of the Venice Carnival it is usually a picture of streets crowded with people dressed in masks, but in fact at the time of the Republic it all took place within small hidden places, the Casini: cozy and intimate places to meet people, gamble, listen to music and have love affairs.

There were numerous Casini in Venice until the 1500s, but it was from the 1700s that these gathering places became a success: there were around 118 of them.

The one in particular which has kept its original appearance is the Venier Casino, located in the Haberdasheries, the road that leads from St Mark's Square to Rialto, owned by the prosecutor Venier but used by his wife, Elena Priuli, a cultured and refined noblewoman.

Inside, there are marble floors, stuccos, frescoes, mirrors and ornate fireplaces, doors made from precious rosewood with bronze handles and locks, all dating back to 1750. Hidden in the marble floor of the entrance hall, there is a peephole that allowed to see who was about to enter ...

The Venier Casino has now been the headquarters of the Italian-French Alliance Française Cultural Association since 1987.

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