Explore the real-world places that appear in The Passion by Jeanette Winterson. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include St. Mark's Square, Rialto Bridge, Grand Canal, Casino di Venezia, Doge's Palace and 7 more.
Piazza San Marco — Venice's grand theatrical stage
Villanelle moves through St. Mark's Square during carnival season, her webbed feet hidden beneath elegant shoes. The square becomes a stage for her performances as she works in the casino, observing the wealthy gamblers and tourists. Henri first encounters the magic of Venice here, overwhelmed by the city's theatrical beauty and the mysterious figures moving through the carnival crowds.
St. Mark's Square has been Venice's ceremonial and political center since the 9th century. During Napoleon's occupation from 1797-1814, the square witnessed significant changes as the French transformed Venetian institutions and looted treasures from St. Mark's Basilica.
The square remains Venice's most famous landmark, surrounded by the Basilica, Doge's Palace, and historic cafés. It frequently floods during acqua alta and continues to host carnival celebrations each February.
Visit: Piazza San Marco (landmark)
Ponte di Rialto — The heart of Venetian commerce
Villanelle crosses the Rialto Bridge countless times, moving between the casino and her hidden world. The bridge represents the crossing between her public performance and private truth. Henri stands here mesmerized by the Grand Canal below, trying to understand how Villanelle can walk on water, questioning the boundaries between reality and impossibility in this magical city.
The current stone Rialto Bridge was completed in 1591, replacing earlier wooden structures. During the Napoleonic period, it remained the only bridge crossing the Grand Canal, making it crucial for commerce and daily life in occupied Venice.
The Rialto Bridge is one of Venice's most photographed landmarks, lined with shops and constantly crowded with tourists. It offers spectacular views of the Grand Canal and remains a vital crossing point.
Visit: Ponte di Rialto (landmark)
Canal Grande — Venice's liquid boulevard
This is where Villanelle's magic manifests most powerfully—she walks across the water's surface, defying natural law. Her webbed feet, inherited from generations of Venetian boatmen, allow her to move across the canal as easily as solid ground. Henri witnesses this impossible feat, forever changing his understanding of what is real and what is possible in Venice.
The Grand Canal has been Venice's main artery since the city's founding, lined with palazzos of merchant families and nobility. During Napoleon's occupation, French officials commandeered many of these grand residences along the canal.
The Grand Canal remains Venice's most important waterway, traveled by vaporettos, water taxis, and gondolas. The palazzos along its banks now house museums, hotels, and cultural institutions.
Visit: Canal Grande (landmark)
Ca' Vendramin Calergi — Europe's oldest casino
Villanelle works in Venice's grand casino, serving wealthy patrons and observing their obsessions with chance and fortune. Here she meets the mysterious woman who will steal her heart, and where her husband gambles away everything, including Villanelle's very essence. The casino becomes a metaphor for the dangerous games people play with love and fate.
The Ca' Vendramin Calergi has housed gambling since the 18th century, making it one of Europe's oldest casinos. During the Napoleonic era, such establishments continued operating under French rule, attracting international players and maintaining Venice's reputation for decadence.
The building continues to operate as the Casino di Venezia, offering gaming in its historic Renaissance palace setting. It also serves as a cultural venue and maintains its reputation as one of the world's most atmospheric casinos.
Visit: Casino di Venezia (landmark)
Palazzo Ducale — Symbol of Venetian power
The palace represents the old Venetian power that Napoleon has conquered and transformed. Henri observes the French occupation of this symbol of the former republic, while Villanelle remembers stories of the old regime from her father and other boatmen. The palace's dungeons and hidden passages mirror the secret spaces of Venice where impossible things happen.
The Doge's Palace served as the residence of the Doge of Venice and the seat of government for over 1,000 years. Napoleon's conquest in 1797 ended the Venetian Republic, and the French used the palace as administrative headquarters during their occupation.
The palace is now a major museum showcasing Venetian art and history. Visitors can tour the former government chambers, cross the Bridge of Sighs, and see the infamous prisons that once held Casanova.
Visit: Palazzo Ducale (museum)
Campo San Zaccaria — Gothic sanctuary
Villanelle seeks refuge and contemplation in this ancient church, struggling with questions of faith and identity. The church's flooded crypt, accessible only at low tide, mirrors her own ability to move between the solid and liquid worlds. Henri finds her here once, praying or perhaps just sitting in the shadows, trying to understand the mystery of her existence.
San Zaccaria, founded in the 9th century, was one of Venice's most prestigious convents. The current Gothic-Renaissance structure dates from the 15th century and has survived numerous floods, with its crypt regularly submerged during high tides.
The church remains active and houses important artworks including Bellini's sacred conversations. The permanently flooded crypt, with its forest of columns rising from dark water, creates an otherworldly atmosphere that visitors can experience.
Visit: Chiesa di San Zaccaria (historic site)
Castello — Former naval powerhouse
Henri explores the old Arsenal, now transformed under French military control. The massive shipyards that once built Venice's maritime empire remind him of the military precision he knows from Napoleon's campaigns. Villanelle's father worked here as a boatman, and she shares stories of the skilled craftsmen who built the ships that carried Venice's power across the Mediterranean.
The Arsenal was Europe's largest industrial complex in its heyday, employing thousands of workers and producing Venice's formidable fleet. Under Napoleon, the French attempted to restore naval operations but never matched the Arsenal's former glory.
Parts of the Arsenal now house the Venice Biennale's art and architecture exhibitions. The monumental entrance gates and some historic buildings remain, offering glimpses of Venice's maritime past.
Visit: Arsenale di Venezia (historic site)
Venice's barrier island
Henri and Villanelle escape to the Lido during their brief time together, walking along the Adriatic shore where the lagoon meets the open sea. This liminal space between land and water reflects Villanelle's own nature. They discuss their dreams and fears while watching the ships that carry soldiers and supplies for Napoleon's campaigns.
The Lido has long served as Venice's barrier against the Adriatic Sea. In the early 19th century, it was still largely undeveloped, used mainly by fishermen and as a occasional retreat for Venetians seeking fresh sea air.
The Lido is now a fashionable resort island, home to the Venice International Film Festival and elegant hotels. Its beaches and Art Deco architecture attract visitors year-round, though it retains some of its quiet, reflective character.
Visit: Lido di Venezia (landmark)
Ponte dei Sospiri — Passage between judgment and imprisonment
The famous bridge becomes a symbol for Henri and Villanelle's relationship—a beautiful passage that leads to confinement. Henri crosses beneath it during his imprisonment, understanding too late how passion can become a prison. Villanelle sees it as representing the moment when freedom transforms into captivity, much like her marriage.
Built in 1602, the Bridge of Sighs connected the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace with the New Prison. The romantic name was coined by Lord Byron in the 19th century, referring to the sighs of prisoners crossing to their cells.
The bridge is one of Venice's most photographed landmarks. Visitors can cross it during tours of the Doge's Palace, experiencing the view that prisoners once had of Venice through the stone-barred windows.
Visit: Ponte dei Sospiri (historic site)
Piazza San Marco — Venice's oldest café
Napoleon's officers and wealthy Venetians gather at Florian, the city's most elegant café. Villanelle observes the social dynamics of occupation and collaboration, watching how power shifts hands over coffee and pastries. Henri sits here alone, trying to write letters to his family in France, surrounded by the city's complex political undercurrents.
Opened in 1720, Caffè Florian is one of the world's oldest coffeehouses. During the Napoleonic occupation, it continued serving as a meeting place for Venice's elite, adapting to serve both French officials and local collaborators.
Florian remains open in St. Mark's Square, offering coffee in its historic rooms decorated with 18th-century art. The café maintains its reputation as one of Venice's most atmospheric and expensive establishments.
Visit: Caffè Florian (restaurant)
Dorsoduro district — Vibrant neighborhood square
Villanelle lives in a small apartment near this bustling campo, part of Venice's working-class neighborhoods away from the tourist areas. Henri discovers the real Venice here, among the local markets and everyday life. This is where Villanelle reveals more of her true nature, away from the performance spaces of the casino and St. Mark's Square.
Campo Santa Margherita has been a local gathering place since medieval times, serving the residential Dorsoduro district with markets, workshops, and community activities. During the Napoleonic period, it remained largely unchanged from its traditional character.
The campo is popular with students from nearby Ca' Foscari University and locals who frequent its bars, restaurants, and morning markets. It maintains its authentic neighborhood atmosphere despite tourism pressures.
Visit: Campo Santa Margherita (landmark)
Glassmaking island in the lagoon
Villanelle takes Henri to Murano to show him the glassmakers at work, drawing parallels between their art of transforming sand into beauty and her own transformations between human and something more magical. The furnaces remind Henri of military campaigns, while the delicate glass represents the fragility of their impossible love.
Murano has been the center of Venetian glassmaking since the 13th century, when furnaces were moved from Venice proper to prevent fires. The island's artisans developed techniques that made Venetian glass famous throughout Europe.
Murano continues as a center for artistic glassmaking, with numerous workshops and the Murano Glass Museum. Visitors can watch demonstrations of traditional glassblowing techniques and purchase contemporary works.
Visit: Murano (historic site)
More by Jeanette Winterson: All Jeanette Winterson books
More novels set in Venice: Browse all Venice books on Map A Story
Other nearby maps: Watermark by Joseph Brodsky locations map