The changes the image of Venice has been subjected to in Hispano-American literature reflect the transition that characterized the human trajectory before and after the artistic revolution inspired by the aesthetic avant-garde. An analysis of the differences that typify the presence of Venice in literary works written by authors belonging to distinct historical and artistic moments emphasizes the loss of certainty that accompanied the turn of the century. At the same time, said analysis reveals the symbolic nature of the literary action that seems to be the metaphorical expression of the reality the artist lives in. For these reasons, the short stories set in Venice by Adolfo Bioy Casares and Julio Cortázar give voice to the issues affecting their time. Through their recognition of the city’s extemporal and labyrinthine nature, these two authors show that the visible is not the only possible reality and that the Fantastic is just a different way to express the complexity of existence.