The Legatoria Piazzesi in Venice's San Marco district is Italy's oldest paper shop still operating in it's original premises. Founded in 1851, it started as a small bookbinder and book repair business, and when Carlo Piazzesi took over in 1900, they began to also produce their own handprinted papers.
It can easily be found when walking from the Campo San Stefano in direction of the Campo San Moise (After you cross the Campo S. Maurizio and the bridges of two small canals, you'll see it on your right, three minutes form the Campo S. Stefano)
They carry their own range of hand made papers, but also those of other well known italian paper manufacturers, such as Tassoti, of which I have been a fan for a long time.
The place is filled with treasures, and as it was not too busy when we visited, the charming and knowledgeable Signore Andrea Andreatta took the time to explain the history of italian paper printing, and of the shop, and shared some pictures of the previous owners. The photo in the second row shows the shop front as it was in the sixties.. absolutely nothing has changed in the last 50 years.
Marbelized papers from Florence
You can chose from a beautiful selection of pencil cases, stationary, paper trays, gift boxes, exquisitely bound books and albums...
... and they also have the prettiest, hand-made Venician greeting cards (2.25 EUR each). I bought the ones picturing the Doge's palace and the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute
