“El cuor no se vende” – “the heart cannot be sold”, was a slogan spread across the Pescheria of Rialto, which is the Fish Market, heart of the city and of its inhabitants. This occurred when Venetians successfully opposed the sale of the Palazzo to an Arab emir about a decade ago. The actual structure you see was built in 1907, so it is relatively new, but previously there would have been an excited mix of tents and moored boats of all sizes, where fishermen sold their merchandise to haggling venetians. The traffic in this area of Rialto was so problematic in the 16th century that the Republic decided fish could only be sold by Venetians or natives of Poveglia – an island in the lagoon -, and only if they could prove they were over 50 and had been fishermen for at least 20 years.