Casanova wrote in his memoirs that he was \u2018extravagantly fond of good food\u2019,\u00a0a passion the legendary author and romancer no doubt inherited while living in Venice. Venice remains in Expedia’s top 5 Italian destinations, and whilst it doesn’t have the foodie reputation that Florence or Rome do, the city remains the heart of the Italian Renaissance. The canal-riddled region is an artistic and\u00a0creative hub and its fascinating and sometimes turbulent history can be charted through its\u00a0delicious culinary heritage. To understand Venice\u2019s food and drink traditions is to\u00a0understand the cultural and historical background of the city itself.<\/p>\n
Once home to a thriving port, Venice was a major stop on the silk and spice route, and\u00a0ingredients imported from the Middle East and Asia heavily influenced the local\u2019s cooking.\u00a0On the walls of the iconic Caffe Florian, established in 1720 and situated in bustling Piazza\u00a0San Marco, you can still see faded frescoes depicting cinnamon and coffee \u2013 just two of\u00a0the city\u2019s coveted imports. Sample the flavours of Byzantine and Persia by indulging in\u00a0some of Venice\u2019s traditional cakes and desserts. Try pinza \u2013 a cake made with cornflour\u00a0that has been enriched with fennel seeds, raisins, orange peel \u2013 at Le Meneghina Antica\u00a0Offelleria. This 200-year-old cafe on Via Cavour was the meeting place of 19th-century\u00a0freedom fighter Giuseppe Garibaldi and his followers. And don\u2019t forget to sample the\u00a0plethora of pastries flavoured with fragrant rosewater. In addition, as a result of years of\u00a0Austrian dominance, Venetians love festive food, for example the Easter cake fugazza,\u00a0which contains cinnamon, cloves, ginger and almonds, and can usually be found all year\u00a0round.<\/p>\n
Thought tapas were only on offer in Spain? Think again. Cicchetti are the Venetian\u00a0alternative and every evening of the week you are likely to come across locals feasting on\u00a0these tasty plates of food at their local b\u00e0cari (wine bar). And, while the rest of Italy\u00a0consumes pasta by the bucket-load, here in Venice polenta is the starch of choice and it\u00a0forms an important part of the city\u2019s bar snacks \u2013 it\u2019s usual to allow a crust to form at the\u00a0base of saucepan when preparing polenta, which is then salted, cut into squares and\u00a0topped with vegetables, hard-boiled egg, meat and seafood to make cicchetti. The\u00a0offerings at La Cantina (Cannaregio 3689, Campo San Felice) are so special you might\u00a0want to stay for dinner. There isn\u2019t menu, but it\u2019s easy to point at the oysters being\u00a0shucked to order at the bar, extensive counter of fresh fish and charcuterie selection.<\/p>\n
When you do come across pasta in Venice it is likely to be bigoli. This thick spaghetti-shape pasta is made with a special bronze press called a bigolaro and usually served\u00a0alongside a sauce featuring duck, veal or anchovies. It differs from pasta found elsewhere\u00a0as it is made with whole wheat flour \u2013 a remnant of the days when this was the only flour\u00a0imported into the city. Being surrounded by water everything used to have to be brought to\u00a0the city by boat, until railway and vehicular bridges from the mainland to the island where\u00a0built in 1846. Similarly, dark bread is fairly common \u2013 a legacy of World War II when white\u00a0flour was a luxury. The city\u2019s proximity to water has resulted in the fantastic Rialto fish\u00a0market and you can sample its wares at Osteria Antico Dolo (San Polo 778, Rialto), a\u00a014th-century restaurant steeped in tradition. Try bacala mantecato (creamed dried cod)\u00a0and fish pasticcio (a hearty baked pasta dish).<\/p>\n
No visit to Venice is complete until you have stood with the locals and slurped a glass of\u00a0home-grown wine. Many of the city\u2019s historic wine bars are still thriving, and they don\u2019t\u00a0come much more historic than Do Mori (San Polo 429, Rialto), which is about to celebrate\u00a0its 550th birthday. Join traders from the nearby Rialto fish market as they order their first\u00a0drink of the day (usually around 11am), or sample spicy cabernet from the nearby town of\u00a0Pramaggiore and sweet, golden moscato as an end-of-the-evening nightcap. When it\u00a0comes to food the place is renowned for its bite-sized sandwiches called francobolli\u00a0(meaning postage stamps).<\/p>\n
Feed your mind with a visit to the Gallerie dell’Accademia, home to a vast collection of\u00a0pre-19th century paintings including one of the largest canvases of the 16th century, Paolo Veronese\u2019s The Feast in the House of Levi. Depicting a large and lavish banquet it is the\u00a0artist\u2019s take on The Last Supper. Feeling hungry for more? Having immersed yourself in\u00a0the grandeur of old-world art, check out the modern offerings on show at the Peggy\u00a0Guggenheim Collection, stopping at Al Vecio Forner (Campo San Vio, Dorsoduro 671\/A)\u00a0along the way. This simple osteria serves a range of panini so you can sit, eat and quickly\u00a0resume your explorations. If Veronese\u2019s work has left you feeling inspired, enjoy a multicourse\u00a0experience of your own with the degustation menu served at Corte Sconta\u00a0(Calle del Pestrin 3886, Castello). Tuck into delicious seasonal dishes, a range of daily\u00a0seafood specials and homemade pasta.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"