Summer Holiday Tips

So you’ve picked Venice as your next holiday destination - a cultural and architectural hub bursting at the seams with museums, galleries, gondolas and romantic canals - what more could you want? Well, Italy may be famed for its mouth-watering gastronomy, but dining out in Venice can often be a disappointing affair – that is, unless you know where to go and what to pick from the menu…! We all know it’s wise to opt for a local speciality whilst on your jollies, so, to guide you in the right direction we have compiled some true Venetian favourites to really get your taste buds tingling.

Pasta

‘Bigoli’ is a Venetian speciality, comprising of long, thin spaghetti-like pasta with a hole in the middle, usually served in a seafood sauce such as onions and anchovies, clams or even cuttlefish ink. Risotto dishes are also aplenty in Venice, particularly cooked with scampi or cuttlefish, although the ancient ‘risi e bisi’ recipe, risotto cooked with peas, is another staple on the menu. Also look out for ‘pasta e fagioli’ – a wholesome pasta and bean soup, perfect as a winter warmer.

Fish

Being the original ‘city of water’, Venice has always tried to make use of its fresh fish resources for creative and delicious seafood dishes. Cod features heavily on most Venetian menus, dried cod in particular. Keep your eyes peeled for ‘baccalà Mantecato’, a type of creamed cod which is truly mouth-watering. Other favourites include ‘bisato su l’ara’ - eel roasted with bay leaves, which is traditionally cooked in a glass furnace, sardines in an onion marmalade sauce and clams in parsley.

Meat

A popular main course meat dish which mustn’t be missed is the famous ‘fegato alla veneziana’ – a delicious Venetian style liver cooked with onions. Duck is another favourite with Venetian chefs, particularly stuffed or cooked in a sweet and sour sauce.

Dessert

Traditional Venetian biscuits are the most popular sweet food to be eaten after a main course. Look out for ‘zaeti’ biscuits, created with polenta flour and raisins, as well as ‘bussolai buranelli’ biscuits made predominantly with butter – even more delicious when dunked in sweet Vin Santo dessert wine!

Wine

Of course, sampling these dishes would not be complete without an accompanying Venetian wine. Try the Bianco di Custoza, Prosecco di Conegliano or Amarone varieties – all traditional favourites which compliment beautifully with Venetian dishes.

One of the best ways to experience these tasty specialities is at smaller, more rustic trattorias which tend to be more favoured by the locals, so forget tourist-packed restaurants in Venice, and brave the beaten path – you will not be disappointed!