This perfectly preserved 17th-century spezieria (pharmacy) illustrates how Venetian medical advice was dispensed three centuries ago, with curatives in antique majolica jars lined up on hand-carved walnut shelves. The ornately panelled room is richly decorated with etchings of wise doctors hanging beneath a gilded wood-beam ceiling in the style of Sansovino. The room is now home to bespoke perfumery the Merchant of Venice, where you can buy signature fragrances in hand-blown Murano glass bottles.
La Spezieria all’Ercole d’Oro
Venice
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.68 MILES
With a profusion of domes and more than 8000 sq metres of luminous mosaics, Venice's cathedral is unforgettable. It was founded in the 9th century to…
0.75 MILES
Holding pride of place on the waterfront, this pretty Gothic confection may be an unlikely setting for the political and administrative seat of a great…
22.11 MILES
Padua's version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italy's great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto…
0.81 MILES
Venice's historic gallery traces the development of Venetian art from the 14th to 19th centuries, with works by all of the city's artistic superstars. The…
0.31 MILES
In medieval times this part of Cannaregio housed a getto (foundry), but it was as the designated Jewish quarter from the 16th to 19th centuries that the…
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
0.85 MILES
Baldassare Longhena's magnificent basilica is prominently positioned near the entrance to the Grand Canal, its white stones, exuberant statuary and high…
0.7 MILES
Baroque dreams come true at this Baldassare Longhena–designed Grand Canal palazzo (mansion), where a marble staircase leads to a vast gilded ballroom and…
0.82 MILES
After losing her father on the Titanic, heiress Peggy Guggenheim became one of the great collectors of the 20th century. Her palatial canalside home,…
Nearby Venice attractions
0.12 MILES
The influence of Palladio swirls around neoclassical St Eustace's Church (completed in 1709), from the dazzling white, statue-heavy facade facing the…
0.12 MILES
Richard Wagner survived the 20-year effort of composing his stormy Ring cycle only to expire in this gracious palazzo, now the casino, in 1883. His suite …
3. Scuola Grande della Misericordia
0.12 MILES
One of Venice’s seven grand confraternities, the Misericordia was the seat of the wealthy silk weavers guild that commissioned this enormous classical…
0.12 MILES
The stately exterior of this Baldassare Longhena–designed 1710 palazzo hides two intriguing art museums that could hardly be more different: the Galleria…
0.14 MILES
Housed in the 15th-century palazzo of the Papafava family, who bought their way into the Venetian nobility in 1652, this museum offers insight into…
0.15 MILES
This stately Grand Canal palace – designed by Domenico Rossi and completed in 1728 – has been commandeered by Fondazione Prada, which is renovating the…
7. Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca’ d’Oro
0.16 MILES
One of the most beautiful buildings on the Grand Canal, with a lacy Gothic facade, 15th-century Ca’ d’Oro is resplendent even without the original gold…
0.16 MILES
Created by architect and designer Jean-Michel Wilmotte, this foundation aims to nurture the talent of young architects via a series of annual…