Venetian publishers offered a wide range of books related to Spain, in the form of Spanish and Italian translations of works written in other languages, as well as original works written in those two languages. Beyond the books themselves, I am interested in the dedicatees and will analyze the didactic, ideological and political reasons that motivated their selection by editors, authors and translators. For the most part, the dedicatees were Spanish although there were a number of Italian admirers of Spanish culture, such as captains Sforza Pallavicino and Giacomo Ragazzoni, and condottieri Guido Brandolini and Girolamo Martinengo. Each dedication attests to their faithfulness to the Spanish crown, and authors of these dedications were often Spanish translators who wished to make Spanish letters known in the Italian peninsula that was most familiar with Spanish arms. Others dedicatees were Spanish kings, like Charles V and Philippe II, or of Spanish origin, such as members of the families Gonzaga, d’Avalos, and Aragona. Focusing on the dedicatees allows me to highlight the desire to tighten the links between the two states, one a hegemonic monarchy and the other an independent republic, whose alliances throughout the century would converge and diverge.