Lost in Venice

Lost in Venice, the only way to go.

We arrived in style into Venice, with the sun coming up as we cruised in onboard La Lyrial, part of the Ponant fleet.  Truly a spectacular way to view this wonderful city for the first time.

Our accommodation for the next 3 nights was in an incredible apartment in a 15^th century Palace, in the district of Cannaregio, which is the district of choice for the local Venetians, and just a way from the hordes of visitors that threaten to sink this beautiful city.

views from our Palace

These are the views from our windows. It was wonderful to come home from a day of exploring to this beautiful apartment, and probably the best wi-fi we had in our entire journey.

We had three nights here, and with a little pre-planning it was enough to see what we wanted to see.   We purchased a 3-day pass for the water bus and vaporetto's, a great way to see the city and the nearby islands like Burano with the glass blowing studios.

Then it was off to relax with a glass of Prosecco and a cicchetti, the Venetian style tapas popular with the locals, delicious and very local.  The Rialto Markets were calling and as it turned out they were just across the canal from our Palace accommodation. Perfetto!  It’s worth a morning visit, to watch the chefs negotiating for the best of the seafood. The San Polo district is a maze of little lanes and dining options are numerous. The further you get away from the tourists, and the Rialto Bridge, the better the quality of the cuisine offered. Eat like a local, works every time for me!!

Tonight, we have our first taste of Slow Food endorsed dining at La Bitta. A small osteria that started out as a bacaro where you could stop for an ombra and a cicchetti, and is now making a name for itself among Venice’s restaurants. It’s a pleasant place, both in the bar area the dining room and in the outdoor courtyard garden. Seating is limited and bookings essential.

Front of house is the delightful Debora who presents the menu describing the dishes cooked by her husband Marcellino. The menu changes every day depending on the season and what is available in the nearby markets. The focus is mainly on meat and vegetables from the local area always of excellent quality. Dishes will include Rabbit meat in “in saor”, tagliatelle with white meat ragout, potato dumplings with fresh ricotta and aromatic herbs. Other meat dishes include lamb chops sautéed with thyme, braised pork cheeks, veal liver in Venetion style, fillet of beef grilled with bacon. Duck in peverada sauce, and chicken straccetti with finferli mushrooms. To close a selection of cheeses and delicious home-made puddings.

As for the wine line, trust Debora. The choice is from approximately 60 wineries from Triveneto region. Some available by the glass.

This was a special evening providing an insight into traditional Venetian style cuisine, prepared and presented with pride. Realistically priced for Venice, our group loved the evening.