Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
near Ponte dei Pugni - but a half-kilo is the minimum purchase, so you may need to hit a
supermarket for that single peach.
GROCERIES
The area around Rialto Market has gourmet delis and speciality shops, including an organ-
041 296 06 21; Piazzale Roma, Santa Croce; 9am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Mon-Sat; Piazzale Roma)
, an agricul-
tural cooperative grocery with branches at Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio and on Salizada
San Lio. For a wider range of fresh-baked bread options, check out the pastry purveyors in
the Rialto listings (
Click here
).
Mealtimes
Restaurants and bars are generally closed one day each week, usually Sunday or Monday.
If your stomach growls between official mealtimes, cafes and bars generally open from
7.30am to 8pm and serve snacks all day.
Prima colazione
(breakfast) is eaten between 8am and 10am. Venetians rarely eat a sit-
down breakfast, but instead bolt down a cappuccino with a
brioche
(sweet bread) or other
type of pastry (generically known as
pastine
) at a coffee bar before heading to work.
Pranzo
(lunch) is served from noon to 2.30pm. Few restaurants take orders for lunch
after 2pm. Traditionally, lunch is the main meal of the day, and some shops and businesses
close for two or three hours to accommodate it. Relax and enjoy a proper sit-down lunch,
and you may be satisfied with
cicheti
for dinner. Bear in mind that restaurant lunch menus
often cost the same as dinner in Venice, as most day-trippers make a mad dash for lunch
places but clear out before dinner.
Cena
(dinner) is served between 7pm and 10pm. Opening hours vary, but many places
begin filling up by 7.30pm and few take orders after 10pm.
Dining Etiquette
With thousands of visitors trooping though Venice daily demanding to be fed, service can
be slow, harried or indifferent. By showing an interest in what Venice brings to the table,
you'll get more attentive service, better advice and a more memorable meal. You'll win
over your server and the chef with these four gestures that prove your mettle as
una buona
forchetta
('a good fork', or good eater):
Ignore the menu.
Solicit your server's advice about seasonal treats and house specials,
pick two options that sound interesting, and ask your server to recommend one over the
