From the Finking shop window at Via Colombo 51, heading toward Corso del Popolo, you enter Piazza Barche; turning left, you reach the Casa dei Barcaioli. It was purchased and restored by Giuseppe Da Re before 1867 and is distinguished by its octagonal chimneys, the long row of oval windows beneath the roof, and its terracotta cornice.
Relations between the boatmen of Mestre and those of Venice were not friendly: competition meant that they did not simply wait at the embarkation points. In fact, they roamed in search of customers, especially in taverns.
In 1813, a regulation was therefore issued to bring some order to the ferry system; among other things, it prohibited boatmen from “wandering in search of hires, since the spirit of the new rules provides for the traveler’s freedom and choice of the boat that best pleases him.”
Today, the building is home to an elegant hotel and a restaurant.
