Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo

Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo (14 July 1715 – 11 February 1772), was a Venetian aristocrat, a casino holder and somewhat notorious salonniére.

Caterina Sagredo Barbarigo was famous for her beauty and intellectual pursuits, was described as a skillful rider and became known for her travels.

She hosted a literary salon counted among the most notable in contemporary Venice, and supported the inoculator Domeniceti.

The clergy and the Inquisition found these businesses scandalous, because at the casinos, both men and women from the nobility could mix freely.

In prior centuries, women of the Venetian nobility had seldom been allowed to congregate with men, but during the 18th century, this underwent a sharp contrast, a development which started when Chiara, Maddalena and Laura Contarini, daughters of doge Domenico II Contarini, had stopped using the zoccoli, a certain type of shoe used by the Venetian upper-class women, which had prevented them from moving freely.