Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE VENETIAN 'BURBS
At the easternmost reaches of Venice, Sant'Elena is the city's most far-flung island. Most of it, with the exception
of the 12th-century church and monastery of the eponymous saint, was built upon reclaimed swampland dredged
up in the process of creating shipping lanes in the early 20th century.
The island took on its current aspect during the 1920s, when it was developed as the city's newest residential
area. Deliberately eschewing the Modernist trends of its time, the middle-class apartments are faithful copies of
the city's aristocratic palaces. However, they lack the quirks and elegant decay that define the rest of Venice. In
fact, the whole neighbourhood feels a little like a Disney version of the city of which, ironically, it is an integral
part.
Today Sant'Elena has become a favourite of joggers for its shady byways and distinct lack of crowds. But it is
also worth a stroll just for its anachronistic charms - and as a lesson, by way of contrasts, in what makes Venice
inimitable.
LE SPIGHE €
MAP
VEGETARIAN
GOOGLE MAP
( 041 523 81 73; Via Garibaldi 1341; meals €10-15; 9.30am-2pm & 5.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat; ;
Giardini)
All vegetarian, all organic and vegan-friendly, this little spot offers quick but deli-
cious eats based on seasonal produce, from crunchy fennel salads to delicious potato-and-
squash pies. And the vegan chocolate cake tastes divine, whatever its other virtues might
be.
CIP CIAP €
MAP
PIZZERIA
GOOGLE MAP
( 041 523 6621; Calle del Mondo Novo 5799a; pizza per kilo €12; 9.30am-9pm Wed-Mon; ; Rialto)
The cooks at this to-go pizza joint (where slices and pies are sold by weight) take their job
seriously enough to dress in traditional chef's whites, and their thick-crust pizzas are a cut
above the competition, thanks to fresh, high-quality ingredients. If you can snag one of the
half-dozen stools, you'll even get a canal view thrown in with your meal.
OSTERIA ALLA STAFFA €€
MODERN VENETIAN
( 041 523 91 60; Calle de l'Ospedaleto 6397a; meals €20-35; 11.30am-3pm & 6-11pm; Ospedale)
With
fish fresh from the Rialto every morning and a preference for organic veg and cheese, Al-
berto's takes on Venetian classics have flavourful foundations. But this is home cooking
with a twist: the seafood selection looks like a modernist masterpiece with its creamy,
coiffed
baccalà
bedded on a rich, red radicchio leaf and baby octopus set like lagoon
flowers against a splash of apricot salmon.
