Venice 2024

In the 5th century, people fled their homes to avoid barbarian conquerors. Venice was created as a marshy lagoon as a result. I like the absence of roads and railways, allowing for lots of walking, my preferred modes of transport. And if you must (which you must try!), the water taxis are the perfect replacement for buses, metro etc. They're frequent and run until late night, offering a cost effective way to explore the city and getting home from the food hubs.

In my 3 days in Venice, I spent many hours at Bacaro Risorto Castello and I will remember this bar for a long time! Zoe, their cheerful evening bartender, makes the best Spritz and conversations! Thanks to her, I have an Italian name - Mario - which she used at every opportunity, even when I visited the bar after two days 😁 Needless to say, she gave us a free drink as well. Bacaro Risorto came with more than just that. Just as we were about to call it a night, we bumped into two blokes from Chicago who moved to Venice with their own window washing company. Over the next hour, Mikey and Angel shared with us their travel recommendations, their passions and some mind boggling events from their lives that were inspiring. With them, we also met Elanor and her dog - Sparky. Sparky immediately let me rub his belly making some of friends jealous of my dog whispering skills 🤣 Now, although Venice is not known for it's food, there are some places that provide excellent value for money (remember, Venice is also a little expensive). One such place is right next to Bacaro Risorto - Trattoria da Nino Venezia. At Nino, we got the best Marinara pizzas that we've ever had - the perfect spicy, garlic-based tomato sauce 😍 And Zoe let us eat the pizzas right at the doorstep of the bar so we didn't have to stop drinking 😁 Needless to say, we caught one of the last taxis back home on our first night in Venice, well past midnight (I do not recommend walking the dark alleys... 💀)

Venice was also the first place where we attended an organized tour with a guide. St Mark's Basilica guided tour with Lila was a great way to learn about the history of Venice, interesting and humorous nuances of St Marco's journey to Venice. The Basilica itself is built entirely with mosaic, a lot of it, 8000 meters. The golden shimmers are the perfect backdrop for the complementary stories of Jesus Christ and St Marco. It is one of my countable exposures to Christian stories and I wish I got a chance to learn more while growing up to truly treasure cities like Venice.

While the food in Venice is OK, the boutique shops are a fine way to spend the day. From homemade perfumes to Italian leather, glass factories to hole in the wall family wine shops, the small alleys represent some of the best representations of a culture of art. A standout experience was one with a 1L Rosso for €2.80 and it was actually decent. Thanks to an old couple who fermented their own wine inside a shop in small batches.

For the foodies, I would set expectations low and basically feed on Aperol spritz until the hunger takes over and any Pizza or Pasta should taste food from there 😛 (scuza Venetians). There are some places that I could honestly go to again and can recommend. For a morning sandwich, L' Bacaro de' Bischeri makes a variety of fresh warm crunchy sangas. You won't go wrong with any, but I would always go for one with cured meats 😁 Antico Forno makes focaccia base pizzas for an afternoon snack or even dinner! Any pizza with lots of tomato or cheese would be good, I went there three times in three days. The focaccia is as crunchy on the outside as it is soft inside and they are constantly preparing fresh batches as opposed to reheating a single batch prepared in the morning. Most of the Instagram famous places were heavily disappointing for me, well above the average price point and well below the average quality. I would stay away from cannolis, gelato and tiramisu in Venice and save the appetite for Florence or Rome. Dal Moro's is the only place that has somewhat maintained their quality. For me, it was my first pasta after landing in Italy and I absolutely wanted to try the squid ink (and yes I am still alive and well). The pasta was fresh and the ingredients were simple and delicious, the staff was friendly and knew way too many languages but I digress. The pasta was good!