Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Veneto's beloved bubbly. By noon, you already have some catching up to do: start work-
ing your way methodically through the extensive seafood menu of tender octopus salad,
black squid-ink risotto, and
granseola
(spider crab), paired with appropriate
ombre
.
Many Venetian dishes are designed with local wines specifically in mind to round out
the flavours - especially delicate lagoon seafood, whose texture may be changed by the
powerful acidity of lemon juice. Some
enoteche
and
osterie
have wine selections that run
into the hundreds of labels, so don't be shy about soliciting suggestions from your server
or bartender.
Vegetarians & Vegans
Even in a city known for seafood, vegetarians need not despair: with a little advance
savvy, vegetarian visitors in Venice can enjoy an even wider range of food choices than
they might at home. Island-grown produce is a point of pride for many Venetian restaur-
ants, and
primi
such as polenta, pasta and risotto
contorni
make the most of such local
specialities as asparagus, artichokes, raddichio and
bruscandoli
(wild hops). Venetian
con-
torni
include grilled local vegetables and salads, and
cicheti
feature marinated vegetables
and Veneto cheeses.
There are eateries that serve a good range of meat-free dishes at all price points. Meat-
free and cheese-free pizza is widely available, and
gelaterie
offer milk-free
sorbetto
(sorbet) and gelato with
latte di soia
(soy milk). Self-catering is always an option for ve-
gans and others with restricted diets, but if you call ahead, specific dietary restrictions can
usually be accommodated at restaurants and
osterie
.
Self-Catering
Picnicking isn't allowed in most
campi
(squares) - Venice tries to keep a lid on its clean-
up duties, since all refuse needs to be taken out by barge - but you can assemble quite a
feast to enjoy at your B&B, rental apartment or hotel. For lunch with sweeping lagoon
views, pack a picnic and head to the Lido beaches, the Biennale gardens or the northern
lagoon islands of Mazzorbo, Torcello, Le Vignole and Sant'Erasmo.
FARMERS MARKETS
The Rialto Market (
Click here
) offers superb local produce and lagoon seafood at the le-
gendary Pescaria. For produce fresh from prison, head to Giudecca on Thursday morning
for its organic farmers market (
Click here
), where sales of fruit, vegetables and herbs
grown by a cooperative in Giudecca's prison fund job-retraining programs. In fair weath-
er, there's also a produce barge pulled up alongside Campo San Barnaba in Dorsoduro,
