Alessandra Zecchini: Venice

Showing posts with label Venice. Show all posts

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Venice: signs, masks and Spritz at the Florian

Since there are no cars or bikes in Venice, there are no traffic signs either. But there are other signs, and some are quite funny! I hope that Aussie blogger Red will appreciate these (she always post great images of cool signs!). BTW, the signs above weren't in San Marco, but in a small calle (Venetian street) near a pub.

We visited Venice before Carnival, but there were already coriandoli on the streets (small colourful paper confetti to through at people during carnival). And of course we went to a mask shop and laboratory and bought a couple of masks. Fun to notice that the mask maker was sporting a cardigan with the same pattern of Arlecchino, the most famous Venetian mask and Commedia dell'Arte character.

From the Trieste's post (and probably older posts too) you probably have noticed that I love historic cafes. My favourite in Venice is the Florian (although the Quadri is also magnificent) and I know that it is expensive, but for a treat it is unbeatable! First of all I like to sit inside, while most tourists go outside, maybe they like to be in the square, but I rather look at the interior decor, since most cafes in NZ tend to be rather modern or retro (sorry, my Italian blood needs a little dose of history now and then - btw, the Florian opened in 1720, so it is the oldest cafe in Italy!), and then there are too many pigeons outside! As a plus the service at the Florian is great: formal yet relaxed, the waiters (all men) are professional but can talk informally if you like (in a few languages), and they all seem to be pleasant and handsome. And you are allowed to take your time: you can sit for as long as you like in there, use the beautiful clean toilets (instead of the public toilets in the square, for which you have to pay for anyway), they have great chocolate and coffee, and make a good spritz too (my favourite aperitif).

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini and Arantxa Zecchini Dowling ©

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Murano

A few photos from Murano, also to let you know that the best meal that we had during our stay in Venice was here on this island, in this trattoria!

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Lego Venice

The day we went to Venice it was raining so hard that I could not take good photos, and we spent most of the time in museums. Anyway, I have already written a guide to Venice here,

so no need for a new post except... well, call me proud mum, but I loved the fact that my kids got home and started making a Venice out of lego.

Here the gondola going through the Grand Canal, weeeeeee!

Did you know that Venice has been built on 118 small islands connected by 354 bridges? The things you learn when you have kids!

and to finish Max did an installation for the Venice Biennale :-)

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Sunday, August 30, 2009

And what will a Vegetarian eat in Venice?

Ah Venezia! The beautiful city on water! I have been here many times and love it! But this year, for the first time, I took the children with me. I must say, in the past, without the little ones, I explored a few eateries, and the traditional bars called bacari. Bacari offer a variety of small bites called Cicheti, similar in style to the Spanish tapas, to be washed down with small glasses of wine called ombre, which in Italian means shades, reminiscent of the times when glasses of wine were drunk under the shade of the clock tower in San Marco square. Cicheti consists mainly of fish: baby octopus, salt cod cooked in a variety of ways, schie (Venice’s tiny prawns), and so on. But the culinary history of the area also benefits from the vegetable gardens which were built in the Laguna throughout the centuries, and particularly sought after are the castraure (small artichokes). Meat cicheti usually come in the form of polpette (meat balls) or, for the more adventurous, brown and boiled veal cartilage.

A few plates of cicheti and a glass of lovely Tocai or Cabernet Franc may suffice for a meal, if you are not a vegetarian, that is! So for me it had to be Aperitif only. I remembered well Cantina Do Mori, near the Rialto Bridge, where you can find a good selection of wines. This is a Bacari and has no tables, but plenty of cicheti, and its convenient location makes it perfect for a quick stop while touring. Cantina do Mori dates from 1462, when it used to be a wine press, and it really smells of old Venice. I asked Rudi, the owner, if women frequented the Bacari and he assured me that, unlike other parts of Italy where bars used to be (and may still be) a men-only realm, Venice, with its liberal and bohemian history, has always welcomed the ladies for an ombra! But traveling with children means that instead of ombre today for us is only water, lots of water, and ice-cream.

It is hot and I see a lot of tourists confused on where to eat; many buy fruit at the market and gather to drink around the foutains, or look for a cheap pizzeria. Only a few sit in the expensive cafes in St Mark Square. I like the historic cafes, the Florian (1720), the Quadri (1775, also a restaurant) and the Lavena (1750), but for me they are better in winter: sit inside, enjoy the decor (not the heat and pigeons) and pay less, as there is no live music then (an extra on the bill).

Saving on coffee and bacari meant that we could splash out on a gondola instead. Ok, it may be expensive and extravagant, but ever so smooth on the canals, and a real experience for the children. As a bonus our gondoliere, signor Pozzobon, could really sing

la biondina in gondoleta.

And now food, but where? If I could really afford it I would go to the Quadri, it may be flash but it has a few lacto-ovo vegetarian dishes on the menu:

Antipasti:

Asparagi bianchi di Bassano con mimosa d'uovo e salsa tartufata - euro 23,00

Insalata di pera con rucola di S. Erasmo, parmigiano e aceto di lamponi - euro 20,00

Primi piatti

Vellutata di verdure con pennellata di colori e cialda di parmigiano - euro 19,00

Cornucopia di grana con bigoli freschi alle melanzane e provola - euro 21,00 (Ricetta vincitrice Award 2006)

Cannelloni di magro alla ricotta e spinaci gratinati con tartufo nero pregiato - euro 26,00

Secondi piatti

Strudel di verdure al forno con pecorino di Pienza - euro 24,00

Next time maybe, for now the children are hungry and we need somewhere quiet, not too expensive (pleeeease), and with some food for us...

This one looks empty, on a quiet road, and not too flash:

Ristorante ai Barbacani

Vegetarians?????

Here we are, antipasto vegetariano, with mixed grilled and steamed vegetables.

And then gnocchi (seafood only on the china).

We got (the adults) a complimentary glass of Prosecco for aperitivo and some complimentary biscuits at the end to go with our coffee. Certainly I would recommend the cute little table which sits directly on the water to romantic couples (or well behaved children!).

Please Mr Cacciari (Mayor of Venice), restore this city to its former splendor, don't allow too many water taxis, offer better free city maps to tourists, and find me one of those empty houses (there are so many!!!) to live in for a year, so that I can write a lot of lovely things about Venice!!!