Behind Campo San Luca (a campo is a Venetian square), a couple of steps from the Rialto, a mosaic sign announces the oldest theatre in Venice - and the fourth oldest in Italy among those still staging: the Teatro Carlo Goldoni, opened in 1622 as the Teatro Vendramin di San Salvatore. On this stage were born works by Cavalli and Legrenzi, and from 1752 Carlo Goldoni was the house playwright - so much so that in 1875 the theatre took his name.