The best general bookshop in Venice is Goldoni, which also sells maps. Filippi Editori Venezia stocks editions of old books and books on Venice. Fantoni is a specialist art bookshop, while English books are sold at Cafoscarina 2, Libreria Serenissima and Libreria Emiliana.
Handmade marbled and dragged paper is typically Venetian. It is used as book covers or made up into writing-desk equipment. The Legatoria Piazzesi sells stationery items. Paolo Olbi has a wide range of papers, while Alberto Valese-Ebru uses a distinctive marbling technique on fabrics as well as paper. For watercoulor views of Venice, try the stalls in Campo dei Santi Apostoli.
The San Barnaba area has several art and craft shops where you can buy unusual gifts and souvenirs. Signor Blum on the Campo San Barnaba has charming carved and painted wooden objects and toys. Another carver, Livio de Marchi, makes large wooden ornaments. La Bottega dell’Arte sells interesting paper objects and masks. For unusual soaps and other toiletries browse in Il Melograno, a herbalist in Campo Santa Margherita.
This area also offers many antique shops. For an extensive listing and location map of Venetian shops, use the veniceXplorer’s dedicated search engine:
http://shops.venicexplorer.net/index.php?hlangs=en
