FOOD TOUR – Venice

To do a food tour in Venice is a dream come true… Venice is not only one of the most stunning city in the world, it’s also well known as a culinary destination.

We booked a food tour through Viator which offers many types of sightseeing as well as food and wine tasting tours that I have frequently used. Check out this Viator link for many interesting Venice tours. Since Venice has just reopened after the Pandemic, the food tour schedule may have changed since our last visit. Make sure to check the latest itinerary and safety measures before you book.

We are meeting our guide at the San Bartolomeo, which is a is a church near the Rialto Bridge in the sestiere (district) of San Marco. to start the Venice Food Tour…

Cheese & Cold Cuts

Our first stop is a cheese and cold cuts shop, where they smoke their own hams and cold cuts. We are welcome with a glass of red wine and a plate of cheese and salami bites.

Pastries

The next stop is Mauro El Forner de Canton, one of the oldest bakeries in Venice, now run by the 4th generation of bakers, maintaining artisan techniques and using only the highest quality ingredients. They offer over 50 types of breads and authentic Venetian pastries. We get to taste different types of cookies.

Appetizers

We follow the guide through Venice small alleys to reach Cantina do Spade, which has been around since 1448 and is famous for its cicchetti, which are Venetian appetizers. Their specialties represent the best of Venetian cookery with many flavors and ingredients from water, earth and sky: fishes and shellfishes from the sea and rivers; vegetables, maize and meat from the earth; game from the sky. We tasted delicious deep fried squash blossoms stuffed with cheese, stuffed squids and fried sardines.

Have you tasted Squash Blossoms? That’s one of my favorite dishes during summer, it’s so fresh and delicate.  Please check out my delicious Italian Crispy Squash Blossoms recipe!

Rialto Market

Of course a must-stop in Venice is the Rialto market, which is the busiest local market opposite the Grand Canal, where locals and tourists shop for fresh produce. It a real sensory experience as you rummage through gorgeous seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Close to the Rialto market is a fish market known as Pescheria which sells crabs, eels, swordfish, tuna and other varieties of sea food here. Apparently, this is also a one-stop shop for all foodies as it is home to many local restaurants and bakeries.

Next to the fresh market is the Pescheria where you can find fresh seafood such as eels, swordfish, soft-shelled crabs, fresh tuna.

Lunch break

We take a boat ride to the restaurant to enjoy lunch

We have lunch at a restaurant specialized in pastas. My favorite dish is the zucchini fusilli pasta enjoyed with a glass of local red wine.

Aperitifs

No food tour in Venice would be complete without an Aperol spritz or Campari soda served with Olive Croquettes and Eggplants fritters appetizers at an osteria.  That’s my favorite cocktail, so refreshing with a slight bitter orange taste…

Sweet Ending

The Venice Food Tour appropriately ends with a place famous for its freshly made Tiramisu, and a good espresso.

Last but not least, enjoying a glass of wine at the end of the Venice Food Tour, and last minute shopping for local specialties to bring home…

Overall, we are really happy with this culinary experience as there’s a wide variety of foods and drinks, nothing fancy, but still appetizing, and it’s a great way to discover a different side of  Venice.

If you enjoy reading about this Venice food tour, don’t forget to check out the Siena Food Tour post!

The day perfectly ends at the city’s most famous bookstore, Libreria Acqua Alta, close to St Mark’s Square. The name translates to “bookstore of high water” as the store flooring is regularly flooded by Venice’s rising water each winter. In order to protect the books, the owner would store them in bathtubs, gondolas and waterproof bins. Since childhood, I love to spend time in a good bookstore, browsing the titles, paging through the books to find a good read to bring home.

If you prefer finer dining, Venice offers great culinary experiences. My favorite places are Osteria di Santa Marina and the more casual Enoteca Al Volto. Both are located in the vicinity of San Marco Plazza. We have enjoyed some amazing dishes like foie gras in torchon, fresh eels, duck confit gnocchis and beef cheeks braised in red wine.

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