Escape the tourist traps of Venice and discover the hidden gems and gastronomic delights of the Venetian Lagoon.... 
Restriction: None
Venice is not a destination that is likely to leave the visitor feeling indifferent. One minute glorying in the beauty and history of the great city; the next suffering crowds of tourists and the overpriced cafes and restaurants that feed off them. But widen your gaze beyond the confines of the city, escape the bottlenecks of St Mark's Square and the Rialto and a different world awaits you in the backstreets and the islands of the lagoon. Each island is its own mini-Venice and offers something unique: colourful Burano is home to fishermen and lacemakers ; vegetables come from the market gardens of San Erasmo and Vignole; tiny Lazzaretto Nuovo, where men and goods from the East were kept in quarantine at the time of the plague ; Murano, famous for its glasswork. Venetian cuisine is inextricably linked to the produce of the lagoon. In spring, the first artichokes appear in the fields. The first buds or castraura are a highly-prized Venetian delicacy. They are often served in risottos but are perhaps best enjoyed raw with plenty of parmesan, a little pepper and a trickle of olive oil. In Venice itself you will find small trattorias and tiny bars in the backstreets where locals snack on cicchetti, the Venetian equivalent of tapas.
|