ALL DRESSED UP

Find out how Venetians lived in the 18th century on this educational, family-friendly activity. You will have the opportunity to explore Palazzo Mocenigo, where original clothing and furniture are displayed, and enjoy an exhilarating walk along Venice’s canals dressed up as noble lords and ladies.

Your guide will bring history to life for young tourists and enrich their experience with curiosities and anecdotes about yesteryear’s aristocracy. Time-travellers will learn all about life in Venice in the 1700s, visit a noble residence, discover what nobles wore, uncover their habits and secrets and have the best fun they can imagine as they step into blue-blooded boots.

You begin your day with a pleasant ride by taxi boat along the Grand Canal, past the Rialto bridge, to the former home of the aristocratic Mocenigo family, housing a small but remarkable collection of fabrics and historic clothing. The rooms of the palazzo also feature portrait paintings, period furniture, tableware, chandeliers, Murano glass objects and Burano lacework, allowing you to take a peek into the life of a Venetian noble family between the 17th and 18th centuries. Highlights of the collection are the mannequins dressed in precious, skilfully embroidered garments which testify to the expertise of local weavers and tailors, to the city’s indisputable reputation as a major European production centre of quality textiles and to the Venetians’ age-old passion for fashion, opulence and luxury. You may not know that Venetian nobles used to spend huge amounts of their fortunes on clothing to the extent that the city’s officials decided to introduce sumptuary laws with the aim of preserving economic stability. Clothing was used as a display of grandeur and social status and restrictions were put in place because reckless spending on fashion inhibited prospective marriage proposals as families could no longer afford to fund adequate dowries.

A section of the museum is dedicated to fragrances and throws light on Venice’s prime role in the history of cosmetics and perfume. One room reproduces an alchemical laboratory of a 16th century muschiere, an ancient perfume-maker who jealously safeguarded techniques and recipes for the production of soap, oils, powders and scented potions.

After the tour head for a costume shop, offering a range of reproductions of historical clothing, suitable for both adults and children. Select your outfit and then let your imagination run free as you wander through Venice’s calli dressed up as members of a wealthy, respected noble clan on their morning passeggiata. Your professional photographer will make sure the unforgettable moments of a magical Venetian day are recorded for posterity.