Venice, at its most refined - luxury shopping

In a nutshell: from the Quadrilatero d'Oro to the master artisans, this is where Venice shops at its most refined - high fashion beside centuries-old craft. For the craftsmen across the water, add Murano's glass, and end the spree over a meal from where to eat.

Venice has been a luxury city for a thousand years - the Republic dressed Europe's courts, and its shops still know how. The heart of high-end shopping is Calle Larga XXII Marzo and the lanes around it, Venice's own Quadrilatero d'Oro: here the great fashion houses sit in palazzi that would be museums anywhere else, and the window displays are among the most beautiful in the world.

The Quadrilatero d'Oro

• ✦Chanel - in a corner palazzo between St. Mark's and the Accademia
• ✦Dior - on Calle Larga XXII Marzo
• ✦Prada - the historic store near the Piazza
• ✦Gucci - on Calle Larga XXII Marzo
• ✦Louis Vuitton - in a grand palazzo facing the canal
• ✦Cartier - jewellery in a Renaissance setting
• ✦Bulgari - the Roman house in its Venetian outpost
• ✦Tiffany & Co. - a short stroll from the Quadrilatero
• ✦Fendi - leather and fur near the Accademia bridge
• ✦Armani - on Calle Larga XXII Marzo

The artisan houses

• ✦Venini - the great Murano glass house since 1921: museum-quality vases and chandeliers, on Piazzetta dei Leoncini beside the Basilica
• ✦Salviati - another historic Murano name, on the Grand Canal by the Fenice
• ✦Attilio Codognato - the legendary jeweller near St. Mark's, famous for antique and cameo jewellery worn by royalty and film stars since 1866
• ✦De Beaumont - fine jewellery in a historic boutique on Calle Larga XXII Marzo
• ✦Noreve - handcrafted painted leather bags, a cult address since 1928
• ✦Paolo Olbi - one of Venice's great bespoke shoemakers, whose clients include the world's most discreet collectors
• ✦Gaggio - the last great artisan leather workshop on the Fondamenta della Giudecca
• ✦Le Coste - hand-printed fabrics and elegant homeware near the Rialto
• ✦Venetian Dream - museum-quality carnival masks, hand-made in Venice

The experience

Shopping in Venice is not just buying - it is being invited into centuries-old interiors, served espresso while the assistant brings out pieces, and leaving with a package tied in the house's ribbon. The service in the great houses is as unhurried as the city itself. Ask for a private appointment: most boutiques open by arrangement, and the experience is entirely different from the shops of Milan or Paris.