Venice food tour: Rialto market and cicchetti tasting with wine

With intimate groups of 15 people or fewer we don’t just want you to eat well for a day, we want to show you how to eat like a Venetian for your entire stay.

We’ll start by visiting the twin hearts of Venice’s food scene; the Rialto Fruit and Vegetable Market and the Rialto Fish Market. As you peruse the overflowing aisles, your guide will explain how ancient trade routes and a strong maritime history have shaped the diets of Venetians; and how they still get the freshest fish from the Mediterranean.

All this talk of food will make you hungry so we’ll be sure to sample sumptuous local wine and cicchetti along the way. On this side of the Grand Canal, you’ll stop at two of Venice’s most popular local bars. The cicchetti is Venice’s answer to the Spanish tapas and includes local delicacies like crostini (bread with delicious toppings like whipped cod) and Venetian panini (technically sandwiches, but so much more). At each bar your guide will help you to choose two of the best cicchetti and of course a glass of wine, Prosecco or spritz to wash it down.

Next you’ll board a gondola to cross the Grand Canal to Cannaregio. Once known as the Jewish Ghetto and surrounded by walls to keep residents in, Cannaregio is a favorite among locals today for its great food scene, beautiful streets and piazzas and its much more relaxed vibe away from the tourist route.

In fact, we bet you’ll be shocked to learn just how much of Venetian food (and Italian food as a whole) has been influenced by the Jewish community. Our adventure continues as we embark on a short stroll across bridges and piazzas of Cannaregio.

Your tour culminates in a stop at our favorite Venetian restaurant; a friendly and atmospheric neighborhood trattoria. Here you’ll be warmly greeted by the host and served a plate of the day’s pasta special, washed down of course, with another glass of wine.

Sites Visited:

• Rialto fruit and vegetable market

• Rialto fish market

• Local cicchetti bars

• One local restaurant

• Grand Canal/Rialto Bridge

• Cannaregio