A Foodie's Day in Venice: Come Dine with Me

Venice, located in Northeastern Italy is a magical city renowned for its famous canals that intertwine the beautiful architecture. I highly recommend adding this gem to your Italian itinerary. When we visited we loved just getting lost in all the charming narrow alleyways, crossing bridges, and eating along the way. Whether it's watching people on the gondolas or window shopping the intricate and wildly decorated Carnival-themed masks, there's plenty to see. The atmosphere in the evening is extra special so if you can stay for dinner and continue your exploration afterward you won’t regret it! A good tip for those with a car: Park just outside of the city and take the train in.

My favorite sandwich of my entire Italy trip was from a bistro right here in the heart of Venice called I' Bacaro de' Bischeri. They use fresh ingredients and make them on the spot with lots of care taken to prepare each one. We went for the simple ‘La Mamma’ option which was filled with tomato (or Pomodoro as they say in Italy), oregano, and mozzarella (the best, softest, most wonderful mozzarella I have ever tried!). The bread had the perfect balance of softness and crunch, and each bite was pure heaven. Super friendly and quick service and there is usually a queue. Oh, and a useful tip they gave us was not to take the food to the canal because a seagull will probably come and steal it from you.

During this trip, I was on the hunt for great gelato - obviously. I had picked up a few tips before traveling on how to identify great gelato. So, rule one is that it should be in a tub with a lid or at least not exceed the height of the container (otherwise, it is apparently filled with air/vegetable fats). Rule two is that it should be more of a dull color and not so shiny - so, for example, pistachio doesn't have to be bright green because otherwise it isn't as natural, and finally, the last rule is that there are usually fewer flavor options. After my research, I came across one that I had to try - Gelateria Gallonetto. I opted for a mix of stracciatella and hazelnut, and it didn't disappoint. The gelato was rich and flavorful, ideal for enjoying in either a cup or cone (I personally favor the cone for its crispy texture).

Before exploring the streets in the evening, we booked a place that we stumbled across on our afternoon stroll called Muro San Stae. It has a great outdoor seating area where you can soak in all the atmosphere of Venice and people watch while tucking into your food. I went for Fusilli with tomato sauce (adding lots of Parmesan), and my partner chose beef asado. Both were very tasty, and as always, a fresh basket of bread was brought to the table as soon as we sat down, with a few pickled vegetables to nibble on. We also shared a salad because we were craving vegetables at this point! Italy is a carb fest - I mean, that's partly why we love it so much - but by the end of the trip, I was wanting lots of veggies.

And that's a wrap on the culinary adventures in Venice! With so many delicious options to choose from, just wander around and see what takes your fancy! Don't forget to keep an eye out for Chicchetti - Venetian tapas which are usually found in small wine bars (bacari). Unfortunately, we didn't have time to try them this time, but hey, there's always next time!

Gaby