When I’m planning an Italian holiday the food is always something I’m looking forward to well in advance. Gelato, espresso, wine, pasta, … it’s not exactly healthy but it’s perfect soul food and there’s nothing like a glass of aperol spritz on ice or cool rosé wine at 6 o’clock when the sun is beginning to set.

As I said in part 1 of my travel guide, contrary to what I had heard, Venice is not extremely expensive when it comes to dining out. With the help of trip advisor and a guide book which we found in our B&B room, we actually came across some really nice and quite affordable restaurants. So here are some of the discoveries we made:

 

Where to eat and drink:

• Birraria La Corte: This modern but cozy place at campo San Polo is nice for pizza, salads or pasta and drinks.
• Osteria Al Bacareto: hidden in a  narrow street near Santo Stefano in San Marco, this restaurant serves Venetian cuisine made from fresh and high quality ingredients.
• La Rivista: this restaurant belongs to the design hotel Ca’ Pisani – a great place to sit in the sun, watch people and enjoy the delicious pasta and fish dishes. The menu changes regularly depending on the season!
• A Beccafico: We didn’t go here, but I heard a lot of good things about this restaurant at Campo Santo Stefano. If I come to Venice again, I’ll definitely go here.
• Trattoria alla Madonna: a traditional and long-established restaurant in San Polo, where you can find great Venetian food at a very good value!
• La Zucca: very cozy and a great spot for Vegetarians! Definitely make a reservation before you go, as this small restaurant in San Polo is very popular.
• Gelateria Paolin: delicious ice cream at Campo San Stefano.
• Grom: this Italian ice cream chain has several stores in Venice. The flavours change regularly. Try salted caramel if they have it when you visit.
• San Stae: We found this gelateria by coincidence when we strolled around San Polo on our first night in Venice. The ice cream is incredibly good (e.g. almond was amazing) – and they also make frozen yoghurt and popsicles
• Gelato di Natura: We walked past this gelateria while we were already eating ice cream (Italian holiday problems, eh?) and actually came back here because the gelato looked so good. We weren’t disappointed. I tried fid and walnut as well as espresso – both were delicious!

Where to stay in Venice:

Hotels are actually pretty expensive in Venice. If you’re looking for something more affordable you can always check Airbnb. As I said in part one we stayed in a B&B, Corte 1321, which was very nice. I haven’t stayed at any other places in Venice yet, but I’ll just list some of the places I have read about and that seem nice:

• La Villeggiatura
• Ca’Pisani
• Ca Maria Adele
• Hotel Moresco
• Hotel Corte di Gabriela
• Hotel Palazzo Giovanelli

Enjoy Venice and tell it ciao bella from me when you go!