The church of San Giacomo di Rialto, or San Giacometto, is supposedly the oldest church in Venice, said to have been founded in the early 5th century, at the foundation of Venice itself. Among its many architectural curiosities, are a rare brick dome and a 15th century 24-hour clock on the façade. This whole Rialto area we are exploring now is the market space of Venice, which is still active today. Campo san Giacometto here is where Venetian bankers, money-changers and insurance brokers would do their deals, probably including figures like Shakespeare’s Shylock from the Merchant of Venice. On the north side, you’ll see a column encircled in a romboid-shaped fence; here, next to it, you’ll see the Gobbo di Rialto, the kneeling Hunchback of Rialto, supporting a pedistal on his head, from where a spokesman would stand to announce the new laws of the Republic, and people condemned of a crime would begin their procession from Piazzetta San Marco and end their capital punishment here, among the jeering crowd.
