Where the Venetians Eat
May 2, 2008
It’s often said that Venice is a poor place for food, and that its restaurants are a disappointment, especially compared to other Italian cities. But that’s only true if you are prepared to look no further than your nose – or rather no further than the main tourist trails around St Mark’s and the Rialto. Armed with the right addresses, you’ll find a rapidly growing clutch of gastronomic eateries specialising mainly in the local cuisine, not slick, trendy places as in other cities but tiny ones with a great neighbourhood feel about them. Fish, from the superb market in Chioggia) is often the speciality. As for fine dining, there are only a handful of places worthy of your money; the two best, described below, are both hotel restaurants close to St Marks. The neighbourhood osterie, trattorie and bacari (wine and snack bars) where the Venetians themselves go to eat and drink are often buried deep in quiet backwaters amongst a maze of calli and canals. Many are tiny: it’s best to book in advance at any time of the year. Here’s a selection.
Agli Alboretti Rio Terrà Foscarini, Dorsoduro 884 (0039 041 5230058).
Back in the 1950s Agli Alboretti, just along from the Accademia, was a haunt of artists and art aficionados, including Peggy Guggenheim. After years of closure, the charming Anna Linguerri brought the restaurant and its adjoining hotel back to life and made it popular once more with well-heeled Venetians. In 2006, the chef, Pierluigi Lovisa, took over the management, and the restaurant’s reputation for innovative yet well balanced combinations of colour and taste has never been higher. A perfect venue for a low-key yet sophisticated family celebration, either inside in the pretty dining room or, in warm weather, outside under the pergola. The interesting wine list, created by Anna, remains strong on grappa and vini da meditazione (dessert wines).
Alla Madonna Calle della Madonna, San Polo 594 (0039 041 522 3824; www.ristoranteallamadonna.com).
This famous trattoria, tucked down a side street by Rialto Bridge, was opened in 1954 and makes a great choice for a large group of friends. Always busy, often with a queue outside, it’s memorable not so much for it’s traditional dishes as for the bustle, the old-fashioned ambience and the swift service from uniformed waiters. Speed is the essence: you can be in and out inside an hour.
Al Portego
Calle la Malvasia, Castello 6015 (0039 041 522 9038).
For a typical, and good value Venetian bacari, try this upper floor, wood-lined place with prettily curtained windows and a separate eating area for those who want to be one remove from the buzz. Choose from the range of cicheti (snacks) or hot dishes such as pasta e fasioi or bigoli in salsa, or simply stand at the bar with the locals and have a glass of wine.
Anice Stellata
Fondamente della Sensa, Cannaregio 3272 (0039 041 720744).
On a romantic canal side in a slow-moving corner of Cannaregio, this simple, family-run osteria, opened in 1999, has gained a strong reputation for traditional dishes that are carefully cooked and often subtly flavoured with herbs and spices (the name of the restaurant means star anise). You might try carpacci di pesce (thin slices of raw tuna or salmon dressed with olive oil and fragrant herbs, or tagliatelli with prawns and courgette flowers or the fish risotto. Whichever, you’ll find excellent cooking at very reasonable prices.
Antiche Carampane
Rio Terrà de la Carampane, San Polo 1911 (0039 524 0165; www.antichecarampane.com).
Don’t even think of venturing to Antiche Carampane, not far from Rialto yet buried in an almost impossible network of dark calli, sottoportegi and courtyards, without first working out the route (details on the website). A long-time favourite with politicians and city dignitaries and their fur-wrapped wives, the white-walled restaurant, hung with pictures, is both cosy and elegant and the seafood, especially the outstandingly delicate fritto misto di pesce con le moeche (soft-shell crabs) is beautifully cooked. Service is brisk, but warm. There are tables on the pavement in summer.
Corte Sconta
Calle del Pestrin, Castello 3886 (0039 041 522 7024). Despite its cult status, especially amongst British visitors, no recommendation of Venice restaurants would be complete without this well- hidden courtyard (as its name translates) specialising in Venetian lagoon fish dishes. Choose the tasting menu and expect a seemingly endless parade of little fish dishes: marinated anchovies, soft-shell crab, spider crab paté, schie (tiny shrimp) with polenta, garusoli (spiny-shelled snails), sarde in soar, latti di sepie and more. Then perhaps a primi patti of pasta made on the premises; you are unlikely to have room for more. In summer you eat under a thick canopy of vines in the courtyard; the indoor restaurant is nothing special.
Dalla Marisa
Fondamente di San Giobbe, Cannaregio 652b (0039 041 720 211).
Marisa comes from a family of butchers (becheri) and her wonderful menu is mainly meat-based, an antidote to the many fish restaurants in Venice. Dishes include the unusual risotto con le secoe, made with a cut of beef around the backbone, bollito misto, tripe and succulent ragouts. A small, no nonsense place with tables inside and on the pavement. Once found, it will become a favourite.
De Pisis Hotel Bauer Campo San Moisè, San Marco 1459 (0039 041 520 7022; www.bauervenezia.com).
With sensational views, perhaps the best in Venice, of both the Grand Canal with its church of Santa Maria della Salute and St Mark’s Basin overlooked by Palladio’s church of San Giorgio, there is simply no more romantic place to dine than the terrace of De Pisis. Not only is it seductive, by candlelight and under moonlight, but the food lives up to the setting. Chef Giovanni Ciresa is responsible and his delicate, widely influenced dishes make a refreshing change from the usual Venetian diet. Choose from seasonal tasting menu (highly recommended), the traditional Venetian menu or the short à la carte menu – you are unlikely to be disappointed, and the desserts are particularly delicious.
Met
Hotel Metropole, Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4149 (0039 041 520 5044; www.hotelmetropole.com).
Of the half dozen or more hotels along the Riva degli Schiavoni, with its matchless views of the lagoon, this is my favourite. Still in private hands, it has endearing touches (the owner is a collector: everywhere you look are carved angels, lecterns, church pews, crucifixes, fans) and a core of twinkle-eyed staff who have been there forever. But while this privately owned hotel retains its personality, it has also kept up with the times with the arrival of the Zodiac bar and the Met restaurant, where rising star Corrado Fasolato has achieved the only Michelin star in Venice. You can dine in the intimate wood-panelled former chapel where Vivaldi taught orphan girls to sing, the velvet-hung salone or the shady garden.
Vini da Gigio
Fondamente San Felice, Cannaregio 3628a (0039 041 528 5140; www.vinidagigio.com).
Vini da Gigio is not secret, and nor should it be, for it is one of the best value restaurants in Venice, filled with locals, with a cosy yet buzzing atmosphere and colourful owner. The comfortable dining room and small tables are ideal for groups of four or five, and though it’s always busy, the service is courteous and you never feel hurried. Specialities include raw fish antipasto, beef carpaccio, meatballs and masorino alla buranella (Burano style duck). You must leave room for a dessert.
Flying visit to Florence
October 27, 2007
It’s hard to write this as I can’t keep my eyes away from the amazing view from the windows of my hotel room: in the near distance the green Florentine hills, with my favourite church of San Miniato looking down on the city, and right in front of me, almost close enough to touch, Brunelleschi’s dome and the vast green and white marble edifice beneath it. Florence is full of beautiful private palazzos but, unlike Venice, few of them have become hotels. This one, Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo, is an exception: the family home of the Niccolini family, full of frescoes and high ceilings, which has become a ten room hotel (there are also private apartments in the building, which helps the general impression of being in a private home. There’s a beautiful salon for breakfast and help-yourself drinks, and a couple of suites, including this one, have wonderful views of the Duomo. It’s certainly not cheap (it’s the sort of place that would have been, a decade ago, being more domestic in feel that a swanky hotel, and a private enterprise, but people have got wised-up these days: you don’t get a real palazzo in a great location, to stay in nowadays without paying through the nose for it, and consequently it’s full of Americans, who feel they are getting real Italy when they come here. And the staff go to great trouble to help them – and all their guests – with tours, reservations and so on. A great find, which I’ve added to our favourite hotels in Florence. I’m off to see another one I’ve heard of now…..
Florence visit
October 25, 2007
I’m off to Florence early tomorrow morning to check out a wonderful sounding hotel….will keep you posted! Fiona Duncan.
New Openings
June 6, 2007
J.K. Place, one of our favourite boutique hotels in Florence, has recently acquired a younger sister on the Mediterranean Island of Capri, J.K. Place Capri.
A seductive small hotel in a bleached white villa, it has a stunning location overlooking the island’s main harbour from where it enjoys sea breezes and fabulous views. The decoration by Michele Bonan is original and contemporary with classical references, combining strong and soothing colours, and using the softest, most luxurious fabrics. The restaurant serves Mediterranean/Italian food, and has a romantic terrace where you can dine in summer.
Tim and Kit Kemp’s latest project, the Haymarket has just opened in the heart of London’s West End. It occupies a superb Nash building (and separate townhouse), with a stunning interior designed by Kit whose unique contemporary English style blends excitingly with the Regency architecture. Each of the public areas has its own distinctive look, with original artworks, and fabrics and furniture that range from the sophisticated to the zany. The 55 bedrooms and suites also display Kit’s trademark bold palette and rich textures. Guests want for nothing, as there is a restaurant (serving northern Italian cuisine), gym and spectacular 18-metre pool.
A night in the freshly refurbished Bath Arms is more like staying in a private house than a hotel, which was the aim of new owners, Hillbrooke Hotels. The 18th-century building is on the Marquess of Bath’s Longleat Estate in Wiltshire, and has a theatrical new look, devised by interior designer, Miv Watts. Each of the 14 richly coloured bedrooms has its own individual theme: choose to sleep in ‘English Eccentric’, ‘Geisha’, or the more risqué ‘Karma Sutra’ (with a nod to the current Marquess). The kitchen, presided over by chef Frank Bailey, produces excellent locally-sourced British food.
