76. Not much of a memorial

It's not surprising in a city where building land is at such a premium, that there are many places where the houses and businesses have grown over the narrow streets below and made practical use of the space above a walking citizen's head height.

As a result there are 'Sotoportegi' like this one all over Venice, covered walkways that punch through and between buildings linking lanes and alleys at ground level. Some are very narrow and dark, some short and wide, some so low you need to duck your head (if you are, like me, a little taller than average male).

Some people find them a little sinister and threatening and avoid going through them, but I love the surprise of not always being able to know what’s on the other side. Sometimes you can go through a Sotoportego at the end of a narrow alley only to find yourself in another almost identical narrow alley, sometimes you can emerge into a bright and busy campo you didn't even know was there. Sometimes, if you’re not careful, you can end up in a canal.

All of the Sotoportegi worthy of that description have names, mostly unrelated to the names of whatever two places they are connecting. 'Malipiero' is an aristocratic Venetian family name best known in more recent years for the musicians and composers that it has produced.

Francesco Malipiero was an opera composer of the early 19th century, his son Luigi was a conductor and pianist, and Luigi's son Gian Francesco was a very successful composer and teacher of the early 20th century, among whose fans was Benito Mussolini.

On the other hand, there is a Ca' Malipiero Hotel in Castello that is housed in the 15th century former home of Pasquale Malipiero, the 66th Doge of Venice, so I think it is much more likely that this ancient-looking Sotoportego was named after him rather than after any of his musical descendants.

This sotoportego may not be the most extravagant of memorials to a former leader, but then Pasquale, whose reign from 1457-1462 was as undistinguished as it was brief, wasn't much of Doge.