On these rainy summer days it's nice to close your eyes and escape into day dreams....today I'm wandering around fairy tale streets, inhaling the sweet smell of coffee and pastries, feeling the sun gently kiss my skin, absorbing the stunning architecture and listening to a gondolier... in the distance ....singing Volare....I'm in Venice/Venezia and everything you've heard about how beautiful it is is true! Here the Rialto food market is the sweet shop to my foodie inner child, the stalls are dripping with fresh, seasonal, local produce
http://www.veniceconnected.com/content/markets-venice . Venezia is such a feast for all the senses and it's even better if you're there for La Biennale
http://www.labiennale.org/en/biennale/index.html -basically a giant art exhibition throughout the city.
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| Even the laundry drying is beautiful! |
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| Fresh borlotti beans |
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| Courgette flowers |
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| La nonna |
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| Chestnuts Castagne |
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| Watering the fish |
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| Even the street art has a food theme |
I always like to rent an apartment when away -it's cheaper for one thing, but mainly because you've got a kitchen to cook. I would highly recommend this for a foodie visit to Venice, as the place is filled with tourists and some of the restaurants take advantage of that. Also, we found that after eating our lunch feasts, which had to be washed down with a few glasses of prosecco -a nap was sometimes required.... and how beautiful it was that the cot was only short stumble away!
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| Eadaoin preparing the razor clams with compulsory prosecco, as you do... |
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| Simple sardines, lemon, salt |
Quite by accident we discovered one of the most delicious drinks on earth. It is a red wine made with the Isabella grape the drink is called
Fragola or Fragolino because it tastes like strawberries. Fragola is the Italian name for strawberry. It has a slight fizz and is served cold...never ever pass up an opportunity to try it!
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| Gummy berry juice... Fragolino |
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| Gorgeous ice-cream from Grom |
So, you can't go to Italy and not eat ice-cream, but one ice-cream place is better than the rest and it's called Grom.
http://www.grom.it/eng/filosofia.php I'm not usually a fan of 'chain stores' but I'm glad this place is. They are different form most because they have a seasonal menu, they grow a lot of the ingredients on their farm, there are no colours or artificial nasties, the eggs are organic....the list goes on, but the bottom line is it is the best ice-cream!
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| Taverna Ciardi Tiramisu -I think I ate three on my last night |
Tiramisu is another typical Italian sweet and I must admit I thought I hated Tiramisu -soggy sponge with a slight coffee taste -euch. However, I realised that I had just never had a good one, until I ate this one in Venice -so good we had to get the chef to write down the recipe for us. Taverna Ciardi is where you need to go and you'll be well looked after by Guiliormaria.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/tavernaciardi
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| Enjoying an aperitif with my bro |
If you like architecture, history, food, design and art then Venezia won't let you down. You might need an inhaler though because it is breath taking. Oh and don't forget some mosquito protection, the canals are part of Venices charm, but they provide the perfect breeding ground for mozzies. Buon viaggio!
