Sotoportego

250px|right|thumb|Sotoportego dei Nizioleti Sotoportego (or sottoportego) is one of the characteristic elements of urban planning in the city of Venice.

It is a passageway that goes underneath a building. The sotoportego height typically equals to that of the ground floor. Oftentimes, the sotoportego is the only access to a courtyard or a small square. Many sotoporteghi contain sacred images of the saints or Madonna. The images can be bas-reliefs made of the Istrian stone or white marble.