Ah Venice. The beloved city in northern Italy, famous for its winding canals, cliché gondolas, and hordes of tourists. I had grown up dreaming of one day visiting this storied city; and back in 2013, my dream finally came true as Venice and I had an amazing, albeit brief love affair. A one night stand if you will.

Venice, 2013. My first taste of this captivating city!

My parents planted the seed of wanderlust into me at a very young age and by the time I reached high school I had travelled to more places than most adults do in a lifetime. So it seemed only fitting that I was introduced to this special city by the man who inspired me to explore the world. Dad and I arrived, as many do, via cruise ship at the end of a 7-day Mediterranean cruise. This cruise was not only a gift to him, but also to me—it was an opportunity for just the two of us to spend some quality time together exploring the ports of southern Europe. But I digress—back to Venice!

Blessed with an overnight in the city, we set out for one last night of fun during our weeklong celebration of his 80th birthday. Sadly, 80 years can do a job on a man’s health, and while dad’s mind was great, his chronic back arthritis had rendered him unable to walk more than a short distance from his bunk to the tiny bathroom on the ship. Walkers and wheelchairs were the norm for him at this point, and our activities had to be carefully planned to allow for him to partake, but still, Venice called to both of us and demanded we spend time with her. Unfortunately, Venice, like many of the older cities in Europe, isn’t close to being wheelchair accessible. Cobblestone streets make pushing a wheelchair virtually impossible. Sidewalks have limited, if any, ramps. Venice is particularly difficult for those with mobility issues, as the added challenge of navigating steep bridges, often with only stairs and no ramps, make moving around freely nearly impossible.

With a limited ability to explore, we still managed to arrive in St Mark’s Square. We grabbed a gelato, fed the pigeons, and popped in and out of the shops. All of this exploring worked up an appetite. Dad wanted to revisit a restaurant that he had eaten at back in 1962 with his late best friend and cousin Vernon. While I was pessimistic that we would be able to find it, that did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm. We never did find the restaurant; instead we ended up at one of many of the amazing outdoor restaurants in Venice, our table next to a busy, gondola filled canal, eating what was probably the best pizza I have ever eaten. I wish I could tell you it was the great ingredients or the wonderful cheese that made it so good, but if I had to be honest with myself, it was the smile on my dad’s face as he sat and took in the moment. I found myself emotionally torn, enjoying my time with the man who made me who I am, while knowing deep down that dad probably wouldn’t be able to take many more trips like this. Sadly, over the next few years, his health deteriorated, and, in February of this year, I lost him to Alzheimer’s, the cruelest of all diseases. Even though dad was now gone, he left me with so much — great memories of all our trips, the love of travel and the importance of family. With that, he will never truly be apart from me.

While Venice is one of the most popular European destinations, it remains despised by a large number of veteran travelers. It’s crowded. It’s dirty. It’s expensive. It’s touristy. And it’s all true, yet like a paramour with flaws, you accept them for who they are and continue to love them. No matter how trite a gondola ride may seem, it’s still one of the most romantic things you can do with your lover. The winding streets that suddenly drop you in another busy square, the countless outdoor restaurants full of people laughing and celebrating, the many gelato stands, ready to serve you one last bite before bed – these are the things that ignited my love affair with the city. And these things are why I, despite my curse of incurable wanderlust and need to explore new places, found myself completely obsessed with returning to the Queen of the Adriatic.

Venice holds a special place in my heart and I knew, even back in 2013, that I would someday return. There was so much more I needed to see and experience. I fully understood why finding that restaurant was so important to dad. I also ‘got’ that smile of his when we were eating pizza on the canal; Venice will do that to a person.

Dad’s after pizza smile. Trust me-you’ll be this happy eating pizza in Venice too!

More important than me seeing it again, was sharing it with my family. Just as dad was so excited to share Venice with me, I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to share it with those whom I love the most. When my family began planning our Greek Island adventure, I knew Venice would be the starting point. This gave me the perfect chance to introduce my family to my Venetian love. To make sure they had the chance to see Venice like my dad and I did, I made it a point to book an extra day there. I know—that’s not much time, but it was enough for me to show my family why I was so enamored with this incredible place.

The magic of Venice almost immediately grabbed hold of us. Arriving in the city after 14 hours of flying via Istanbul is exhausting. For a party of 8, it truly was a miracle that nobody suffered an irreversible emotional meltdown. With our bags in hand and all of us running on fumes, dreaming of our heads hitting the pillows at the Hotel Tre Archi, we jumped on the water taxi from the airport. This boat ride gave us all the shot of adrenalin we needed. As we sped across the lagoon, wind whipping through our hair and an amazing Italian sunset to the west, smiles started to appear, one by one. It was clear that none of us were headed right to bed as we originally planned. After arriving at the hotel, we quickly checked in and dropped our bags in our rooms before meeting in front of the hotel, ready to meet the city.

Venice at night practically begs you to spend time with her and we were being drawn into her arms. I already could see my family falling in love the way I had 6 years earlier. There was a restaurant right next to our hotel. Patrons were clearly enjoying themselves and the food looked amazing; with all of us running on a couple of airline meals, we were more than ready for an Italian feast. But stopping here would have shown that eating was merely a bodily function, we would, undoubtedly, have enjoyed our meal, but we would have also missed out on the opportunity to begin exploring this remarkable place. As hungry as we all were, we all knew that we needed to keep walking in order to find ‘just the right’ place. We didn’t know what we wanted, but we all knew we would know when we got there.

After passing by a dozen or so restaurants, all of which looked amazing, we finally found it. It beckoned to us the same way Clark Griswold found his tree in Christmas Vacation, only the heavenly glow was replaced by overhead patio lights and Italian music. Located at the intersection of the Canale di Cannaregio and the gargoyle covered Guglie Bridge, Ostoria da Bepi is a cool little restaurant with canal side seating and an amazingly nice maître’d who seated us right away at a large table that had just cleared. The menu contained every Italian dish one could hope for, but for these eight weary souls, pizza and beer was called for. Service was swift, with bread and water coming quickly, followed shortly after by bruschetta and then 3 pies (as well as a seafood medley, ordered by the lactose intolerant member of our group). Cold draft beers were also fast to arrive, with the mugs being larger than our heads. All in all, while expensive, the smiles and laughter were worth every Euro. More importantly to me, dad was with each and every one of us that evening. The night was topped off with a round of Gelato and an impromptu Limoncello tasting by the younger members of the crew. We eventually made our way back to Hotel Tre Archi and hit the sack, ready to explore everything Venice the next morning.

Morning came quickly and after a small European breakfast consisting of pastries and deli meats, we started our journey on foot to the Rialto bridge. Here, the eight of us along with three other lucky couples, met Sylvia, our guide for the day. Sylvia was a young and vibrant 20ish year old native Venetian who would lead us on our exploration of local Venetian cuisine for the next couple of hours.

Sylvia, our guide on our culinary tour of Venice. Local food tours, led by local people are a great way to truly see the “flavor” of a city!

You probably aren’t shocked that the BaconMedic looks for these types of guides, but you may be surprised that it’s not because of the food specifically. Food tells a story. It’s history. It’s family. It’s what we all have in common, and it’s what brings us together as humans. While we all enjoy the tastes and flavors of different cultures, it’s the stories that I want to hear and I blog them in order to bring them to you.

As much as I enjoyed the food our first stop, Casa del Parmigiano in the San Polo district, it was the stories that went with it that I love; the food we ate allowed us to live those stories. Anyone can pop into this little shop, but to hear its history, and understand the roles that the very meats and cheeses we were eating played in shaping the culture of Venice – that’s why we were here. Venetians have been making salumis (such as Soppressa and Coppa), and cheeses (Grana Padano, Asiago and Montasio) for centuries, and they are often served as appetizers, with a glass of local red wine, of course! Served thin sliced on a wooden board, these cicchetti (single bite appetizers, similar to tapas) are some of the most popular dishes amongst Venetians and visitors alike.

*Casa del Parmigiano. You must stop in here and sample some of the local meats and cheeses!*

Our next stop was one of the local fish markets. As one can deduce, any city as integrated with the sea as Venice is will have an amazing seafood selection. Vendors and shoppers went about their business, selecting the freshest catch for their family dinner later on, or perhaps a larger quantity for the evening special at a local café. Fresh prawns, clams, snails, crab and just about any type of deep sea fish were there on ice, ready for the kitchen, having given their lives in the name of culinary greatness just hours before.

While famous for its historical visitors, Cantina do Mori is known mostly for its traditional Baccala Mantecato, perhaps the best in the city. One of the most common cicchetti in Venice, it’s a creamy, mousse like spread of dried cod which has been soaked and poached, ultimately served on a small baguette slice or grilled polenta. The creamy texture meshed perfectly with the crunch of the bread, the seafood taste was strong but, for a lover of cod and other whitefish, quite tasty. It’s easy to see how one could easily down a half a dozen of these small bites without realizing it, especially in the company of great people and wine.

Upon leaving the fish market, we headed straight for culinary stop 2, the legendary Cantina do Mori. In business since 1462, this intimate wine bar (bacaro) was built with two entrances so gentleman such as Giacomo Casanova (yes, the Latin Lover) could hastily escape angry husbands and boyfriends. I couldn’t help but think of some of my colleagues who could benefit from such a design.

Moving quickly in the afternoon Venetian heat, we made our way over to another tiny café, Acqua e Mais, serving up Venetian Street Foods from a small hole in the wall. ‘Water and Corn’ is the English translation, a name that ‘recalls the key elements of polenta’ according to Sylvia. Like most Venetian establishments, the menu was heavy on seafood choices with many of the foods being served in a paper cone (scartosso). Sylvia popped into the small vestibule and placed an order in Italian to the hostess, soon after she returned with another platter of Baccala Mantecato, skewers of fried meatballs and eggplant, and the most interesting choice of our day, cuttlefish served over polenta with a black squid ink sauce. While the first two choices were as expected (I mean, a fried meatball? Of course it’s great!), the cuttlefish was very different. Fully aware that I have never been a huge fan of eating cephalopods, and not a big lover of things called ‘squid ink’, I had to pause for more than just a few minutes before tasting this particular dish. However, duty called, and the BaconMedic wasn’t going to let an irrational fear of becoming violently ill stop him from doing his duty, after all, I had eaten bugs, canned chicken and potted meat on Spit or Swallow and survived. What’s a little squid for this guy? I have to admit that my first bite was my only bite. If I were another person, perhaps one who loved exceptionally fishy and slimy foods, I would have liked cuttlefish. If I liked extremely salty sauces, I would have liked squid ink. I do like polenta, but unfortunately, having it covered with the two main ingredients rendered it into the category of yuck for me. I took a large swig of cold water, satisfied that I had at least tried it, but I was truly ready for our next stop.

Cuttlefish over polenta with squid ink sauce. Not a favorite dish of the BaconMedic.

Thankfully, just a few blocks away, we happened upon one of the hundreds of amazing Gelato shops as I was truly ready for a sweet washdown with something cold, creamy and decadent. While every shop has the same basic flavors – pistachio is my usual go to – I chose a single scoop of Frutti di Bosco, or Forest Berries. Velvety smooth with a perfect flavor of fresh berries, I was satisfied until my next full meal, only a few short hours away.

Ah…gelato. Sweet gelato. Never, ever turn down an opportunity to eat gelato.

Completely happy from a culinary standpoint, I looked down at my watch and realized I had to be somewhere in a mere 45 minutes – the gondola station in front of San Moise Church. Yes, I was about to do the most tourist thing one can do in not only Venice, but perhaps all of Europe. Some petulant old travels may roll their eyes at this point, some may judge, some may down right stop reading. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. Yes, I am all about finding off the beaten path things to experience, but we also need to look around and experience things that others already have and declared to be great. Yes, a gondola ride is kitschy and certainly over- priced, but it’s also one of the best experiences I have ever had. It’s something I dreamed of doing since I first learned it was a ‘thing’, and it something I waited 50 years to do. It wasn’t an option for me in 2013, not just because my mobility impaired dad couldn’t transfer into a gondola, but because it was a moment I waited for to experience with the person I love the most in the world, and this time, she was there to experience it with me. So, before you listen to the crabby old tourists tell you it’s over rated, let me tell you this: if you travel to Venice and don’t take the time to see this wonderful city from the water with a gondolier paddling you, you have indeed missed out. The experience itself was surreal; Antonio, our ‘driver’ was pleasant but kept conversation to a minimum so we could enjoy the time we had. We slowly navigated the smaller canals, watching the residents and tourists mesh together, eating, laughing, taking photos; some of them of our gondola. We turned out onto Grand Canal and became a part of the busiest ‘roadway’ in Venice. Gondolas slowly working their way around water taxis and other floating vehicles; finally turning back into Rio de l’Barcaroli and finishing up where we began. While only lasting 35 minutes, the trip was 35 of the best minutes of my life and another bucket list item was crossed off. It was at this moment that I was happy that I hadn’t yet devolved into a travel snob, unable to appreciate the greatest sights the world has to offer simply because everyone else has done it. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that what makes a tourist attraction popular is simply because it’s worth seeing.

My life long love affair with Venice began in grade school when we learned very basic geography and continues to this day. The pictures in my text books resonated with me and sparked my dreams of travel. Finally, after 40 years, my dad and I got to experience it together, and although we didn’t get to see much, I wouldn’t have had that trip any other way. Six years later, with the people closest to me in my life along with the memories of my father, that love affair was rekindled and the flames still burn hot.

Venice wined me and dined me. She showed me the best she possibly could. She wowed me in ways that other cities such as Dublin, Paris and London could never possibly do. While my goal is to see as much of this amazing world as possible, the reality is that between time and money (or lack of) it’s an impossible task. While I view most locations as a ‘one and done’ experience in order to continue to experience new places, Venice is different. Venice is my happy place, a place I will return to again to experience her beauty and charm—and of course, her food! Yes, Venice is crowded. Maybe she’s a little dirty. She’s certainly over-priced, but know this: people keep coming back for this one simple reason—she’s amazing!

Hi.

Sep 14 (Re) Visiting Venice

Hi.

Sep 14 (Re) Visiting Venice

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