Statue of Antonio Rioba with iron nose, Campo dei Mori, Cannaregio, Venice

Campo dei Mori

Venice, Italy

The legend of the three Moors

Activity

View Campo dei Mori (the square of the Moors) – traders who took refuge in Venice in the year 1112 and view the bas-reliefs

History of Campo dei Mori

Image: Senor Antonio Rioba Campo dei Mori Venice Stock Italia/Alamy

Campo dei Mori is the square of the Moors. The Moors were the predominantly Muslim inhabitants of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) during the Middle Ages.

The three statues set in the walls of the square are three Mastelli brothers – Rioba, Sandi and Afani. According to the little that is known about them, they were silk or spice traders and took refuge in Venice in 1112 where they built Palazzo Mastelli – recognizable by the camel bas-relief.

One legend has it that they defrauded a woman who prayed to Santa Maria Maddalena to curse the brothers. As a result, the Mastelli brothers were turned into stone statues as a warning to anyone who passed by.

Location/Waterbus

Vaporetto Line 4.1, Line 4.2, Line 5.1, Line 5.2

Buy vaporetto waterbus tickets | View timetables, routes & maps

Waterbus stop: Madonna dell’Orto

History of Campo dei Mori

Homme Au Turban Sur Le Campo Dei Mori A Venise 1581475250

Image: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The most famous statue is that of Antonio Rioba. His nose was replaced with a piece of iron in the 19th century. Legend has it that rubbing his nose will bring luck.

A short distance away, there’s a bas-relief on the facade of Palazzo Mastelli showing a man with a turban leading a camel – refering to the brothers’ trade.

Google Map Location

Tip

This area of Venice (Cannaregio) has a lot of interesting things to see:

Tintoretto’s house can be found close by (map) as can the church of Madonna dell’Orto (with a number of Tintoretto paintings and where he was buried).

St Alvise, a church with a fascinating painted ceiling is close-by, as is the Great School – Church and Abbey of Mercy (Chiesa dell’Abbazia della Misericordia) along with Venice Ghetto and the Orsoni Furnace (Color Library).