|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 No city on the sea could be without the tangy odor of fish. Enjoy a stroll through the marketplace Mercati di Rialto (in the San Polo district), where every day, in keeping with a centuries-old tradition, fresh fish are sold along with fruit, vegetables and flowers from early morning to midday. It's interest to look down from the Ponte Rialto and watch the incessant comings and goings of the barges and their passengers. The entire Rialto zone is bustling with activity and is well-supplied by a vast array of attractive food shops such as those in the Ruga dei Spezieri. Very Venetian is the bouquet of wine. The locals are fond of taking an ombra, or glass of wine, in one of the city's many very old and simple wine bars known as bacari where it is often possible to sample traditional dishes as well.  No investigation of the city's characteristic bouquet would be complete without sampling a true Bellini, the famous prosecco and peach aperitif, at Harry's Bar (San Marco 1323, at the San Marco embarcadero) where it was born! Another typically Venetian aroma is that of coffee. The institution of the coffee house as a sort of public meeting place, a place to ciacole (chit-chat) was actually a Venetian phenomenon (the Botteghe del caffè) which spread throughout the world. True to its rakish nature, Venice immediately seized upon the joys of coffee and chocolate as soon as they arrived from the New World! The most famous cafés in the city are perhaps the Florian and the Quadri in Piazza San Marco, although in summer there are many others which offer outdoor seating in Campo Santo Stefano, in Campo Santa Margherita and along the banks of the Schiavoni. |
 |
 |
