When in Venice, one of the tricks to getting the “real deal” cuisine is getting away from the touristy areas and eating as the locals do. Which means skip the shady pizza joints and “menu turistico” places with hawkers begging you to look at the menu as soon as you get off the boat, and dig into the city to find out where the locals are noshing.
You’ll find some amazing treats at bacaro type establishments pouring spritzes and serving up cicchetti that are just to die for. We’ll show you where! Make sure you click to enlarge.
Always regrettable to leave Venice, but one must remember you’re only feeling that wistful sadness because you’ve had the good fortune to enjoy the wonderment that is La Serenissima. It’s been great to have Leah from Leah Travels experience Venice with us, and we’re looking forward to what she writes about her time there with us and our good friends at the Hotel Giorgione. She got a chance to see Venice off the beaten path, to taste cicchetti at side street winebars, to eat the best seafood meals on the planet at restaurants most tourists miss and most big-bus tour operations haven’t even heard of, and see the REAL Venice as it should be experienced–a time capsule of a bygone era that you can see, touch, taste, and indulge in with your whole being.
We hope to see her again soon, and hope to share the magic with you.
When we hear from people went to a particular region and didn’t like the food, we also invariably heard from someone who didn’t partake of the recipes the region in question is known for. Just like you don’t go to Texas for the sushi or Seattle for the southern BBQ, don’t go to Venice looking for an exquisite pizza experience.
Always one of the highlights of any trip to the Veneto--and the best ones are ones out of the way you either stumble upon, or have us show you. This little one is actually one of our favorites and we’re glad to see it get mention; while it’s not easy to find, the hunting is well worth it.
One of the best parts of staying at Hotel Giorgione, our “home in Venice” is the warm hospitality of the quiet corner of Cannaregio where it’s found; this short video shows that Venice isn’t just the hustle-bustle crowded experience many folks complain about. If you know where you’re going, you’ll see the Venice that Venetians themselves experience: a post-work nip of prosecco, a quiet calle, and some fantastic cicchetti prepared with fresh local ingredients.
After a long flight and incurring some rather confused circadian rhythms, it was time for some vino bianco and some smoked swordfish wrapped around robiola, artichoke hearts, Italian tuna in red peppers, bacala, and local sardines and anchovies marinated in lemon and olive oil. Perhaps the best food I’ve ever had, and not just because we we’re travel weary.
This is one of our secret spots, well out of the way, but so worth finding! Come join us.
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