In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Laura from Maranteghe, a vintage and second-hand shop in Cannaregio where fashion becomes memory, identity and a small act of resistance.

Founded by Miriam, Sara and Laura, Maranteghe was born during the pandemic, among wardrobes to reinvent, forgotten clothes to rescue and the desire to create something with meaning. What began as a shared passion between friends became, in spring 2024, a physical shop in Venice: a “covo”, a little den, filled with pieces that carry stories, character and soul.

But Maranteghe is not just about vintage fashion. It is about giving clothes a second life, celebrating Made in Italy, listening to the stories hidden in Venetian wardrobes, and pushing back against fast consumption and the sameness of mass tourism. In a city too often reduced to souvenirs and quick visits, Maranteghe offers something slower, stranger, more personal, and beautifully Venetian.

Together Monica and Laura talk about friendship, style, sustainability, female energy, old clothes with new destinies, and the wonderfully ironic meaning of the word “marantega”, rooted in Venetian dialect and linked to witches, old women, sacred female figures and a touch of glorious mischief.

In this episode, Monica and Laura discuss:

• How Maranteghe was born during the pandemic from friendship, wine and wardrobe reinvention
• Why vintage fashion can be emotional, cultural and sustainable at the same time
• The meaning of the Venetian word “marantega” and why it became the perfect name
• How Miriam, Sara and Laura choose the pieces that enter the shop
• The stories hidden inside the wardrobes of Venetian women
• Why second-hand fashion can be a form of resistance against waste and mass-produced style
• How Venice inspires style, theatricality and personal expression
• Why Maranteghe stands against the “mordi e fuggi” tourist economy
• The playful Venetian detail behind their logo: a lion sticking out its tongue, inspired by a medieval bas-relief in the Archivio di Stato di Venezia

Listen to the new episode of Venice Talks and step inside a shop where clothes are never just clothes. They are fragments of lives, whispers from wardrobes, and tiny spells stitched into fabric.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.

✨ Credits:

Hosted by Monica Cesarato

Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media

Guest: Laura Gamba from Maranteghe

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Venice is a city that moves on water.

Every day, thousands of residents, workers, students and visitors step onto a vaporetto without always thinking about what happens behind that simple act of getting from one stop to another.

But in Venice, public transport is not a road, a bus lane or an underground line. It is the lagoon. It is the Grand Canal. It is tides, fog, wind, night shifts, crowded landing stages, sudden changes in weather, wave motion, and the constant responsibility of moving people safely through one of the most delicate cities in the world.

In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica speaks with Lorenzo Boscolo, President of the Associazione Capitani Navigazione Lagunare, and Agostino Benvegnù, Vice President of the association, to explore the world of Venice’s public water transport commanders.

Together, they discuss what it really means to command a vessel in the lagoon, the difference between a captain and a commander, the training and skills required for this profession, and the unique challenges of keeping Venice moving 24 hours a day.

This conversation also looks at some of the most important issues facing the city today: wave motion, overtourism, respect for public transport, safety on board, and the need to understand that a vaporetto is not just a scenic ride. It is an essential service for the people who live and work in Venice.

Through their words, we discover Venice from a different point of view: not from a postcard, not from a tourist map, but from the cabin of those who navigate its waters every day.

In this episode we talk about:

• What the Associazione Capitani Navigazione Lagunare is and why it matters in Venice today
• The difference between a captain and a commander
• The path and training needed to become a commander in Venice’s public water transport system
• Why navigating a public transport vessel in Venice requires far more than simply knowing how to steer a boat
• The most delicate areas of the lagoon and the city from a navigation point of view
• Why Venice’s public transport system is unlike buses, metros or trams in any other city
• What it means to be responsible for a vessel full of passengers in a city where the “road” is made of water
• The beauty and the hidden difficulties of life as a commander
• The importance of remembering that vaporetti are an essential service for residents, workers and students
• What it means to guarantee public transport 24 hours a day, through fog, rain, high tides, events and tourist peaks
• Why wave motion is such a serious issue for Venice
• The impact of wave motion on safety, boats, landing stages, embankments and the city itself
• How overtourism affects the daily work of commanders
• The future of this profession and whether young people are interested in becoming part of it
• Which tourist behaviours make the service more difficult, and which ones would help everyone

This episode is an invitation to look at Venice differently.

The next time you step onto a vaporetto, you may notice the city in another way: the movement of the water, the precision of an arrival, the patience behind a crowded stop, the responsibility carried by those who keep Venice moving every day.

Listen to the full episode of Venice Talks and subscribe to the podcast to discover more stories from the people, places and voices that make Venice extraordinary.

Because Venice is not only a city to visit.

It is a city to understand.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.

✨ Credits:

Hosted by Monica Cesarato

Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media

Guest: Lorenzo Boscolo & Agostino Benvegnù from ACNL

If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.

💌 Want to share your own Venice?

Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at info@monicacesarato.com.

What does Venice smell like?

In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica sits down with Joan Giacomin, Brand Ambassador for The Merchant of Venice, for a journey into the fragrant history of Venice. Together they explore how the city became a crossroads for rare ingredients, refined beauty, and perfume culture, and how scent offers a unique way to understand Venice beyond what we see.

This conversation moves through history, trade, daily life, and memory, showing how perfume was woven into the story of the Serenissima and how that legacy still lives on today.

Show key notes

• Meet Joan Giacomin of The Merchant of Venice
• Venice and its historic role in the world of perfume
• The trade routes, spices, and precious raw materials that passed through the city
• Rare ingredients, trade, and the global reach of the Serenissima
• Fragrance in Venetian beauty, ritual, and daily life
• The scents that best capture historic Venice
• The Merchant of Venice and perfume heritage today
• Why scent is such a powerful storyteller

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.

✨ Credits:

Hosted by Monica Cesarato

Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media

Guest: Joan Giacomin Brand Ambassador for The Merchant of Venice

If you love hearing the voices of Venice, subscribe and leave a review — it helps others discover these stories too.

💌 Want to share your own Venice?

Send me a short audio clip (1 minutes max) telling me what you loved most about the city — at info@monicacesarato.com.