ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1128

market is wonderfully slimy (closed Sun-Mon). Side lanes in this area are speckled with
fine little hole-in-the-wall munchie bars, bakeries, and cheese shops.
Ahandy(butoftenmobbed) Co-op supermarketisbetweenSt.Mark'sandCampoSanta
Maria Formosa, on the corner of Salizada San Lio and Calle del Mondo Novo at #5817. It
has a great selection of picnic supplies, including packaged salads for €2 (daily 8:30-20:00).
The largest supermarket in town is the Co-op at Piazzale Roma, next to the vaporetto stop
at #504-507 (daily 8:30-20:00). It's an easy walk from the train station, as is the Billa super-
market on Campo San Felice (at #3660, along the Strada Nova between the train station and
Rialto area, Mon-Sat 8:30-20:00, Sun 9:00-20:00). Another Billa supermarket is convenient
for those staying in Dorsoduro: It's at #1492, as far west as possible on the Zattere embank-
ment, by the San Basilio vaporetto stop and the cruise-ship docks (Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00, Sun
9:00-19:00).
TheonlylegalplacetopicnicinpublicinVeniceisGiardinettiReali,thewaterfrontpark
near St. Mark's Square. Eating anywhere outdoors, you may be besieged by pigeons. A pic-
nic in your room can be a better bet.
Gelato
You'll find good gelaterie in every Venetian neighborhood, offering one-scoop cones for
about €1.50. Look for the words artigianale or produzione propria, which indicates that a
shop makes its own gelato.
The popular, inventive, upscale Grom ice-cream chain has two branches in Venice, one
on Campo San Barnaba at #2761 (beyond the Accademia Bridge), and another one on the
Strada Nova at #3844, not far from the Rialto (cheapest cone-€2.50, both open long hours
daily). A competing gourmet gelato shop, Gelatoteca Suso, serves up delectable flavors
suchasfigandnut(daily12:00-23:00,nexttorecommendedRosticceriaSanBartolomeoon
Calle de la Bissa).
On St. Mark's Square, two venerable cafés have gelato counters: Gran Caffè Lavena
(April-Oct daily until 24:00, no gelato Nov-March, first café to left of the Clock Tower, be-
hind the first orchestra, at #134) and Todaro (on the corner of the Piazzetta at #5, near the
water and just under the column topped by St. Theodore slaying a crocodile).
Venice Connections
By Train
From Venice by Train to: Florence (hourly, 2-3 hours, often crowded so make reserva-
tions), Milan (hourly, 2.5-3.5 hours), Cinque Terre/Monterosso (5/day, 6 hours, change in
Milan), Rome (roughly hourly, 3.75 hours, also 1 direct night train, 7 hours),