Here’s a virtual visit to the city of canals, mystery, art, history, architecture, beauty, and fabulous food.
A compilation of some of my photos and videos from my visits to Venezia.
Take the trip with me!
Venice
Best Cooking Class in Venice
Piazza San Marco – Venice
Some people shy away from Venice. They say it’s too crowded…too many tourists.
There’s some truth to that.
But there’s more truth here: Venice is like NO OTHER PLACE. It’s a beautiful history captured in space and stopped in time. To go to Venice is to time travel. Back centuries. And centuries-old wonders have all been preserved.
If you want to avoid crowds, it’s easy to steer yourself off the beaten path and feel like the city is all yours. Intriguing and relaxing neighborhoods are everywhere.
One of my favorite experiences is cooking with Chef Marika of Acquolina on the Venetian island of Lido. Her cooking classes are hands-on with all local fresh ingredients, and her personality is buoyant and encouraging. If you take the full day class, you start by meeting her in the center of Venice at the famous Rialto market, where dozens of tables and booths are spilling over with produce, seafood, pastas, and spices.
Chef Marika shopping with students at the Rialto Market
Here you go shopping with Marika to choose what you will cook. She’ll listen to your requests and also make some knowing suggestions. She knows where to shop, which are the best vendors…her favorite produce, the best fish.
Chef Marika talking about the artichoke bottoms we’re about to buy
My group from Nashville shopped with her…picking out baby scallops in the shell, small soft-shelled crabs, prawns, and baby squid. We bought fresh whole artichoke hearts (just the bottoms, which we braised and ate like steaks), cherry tomatoes, and fresh peas.
When her rolling shopping cart was completely full, we made a couple of other short stops before boarding a taxi boat to the outer island of Lido. Marika took us to the classic age-old wine bars hidden behind the market. We sipped small glasses of wine and nibbled cichetti — bite-sized appetizers.
Then we took the short boat ride to her home on Lido…
Marika’s home is just a short walk from the boat stop on Lido.
Marika’s home on Lido
As soon as we arrived we started cooking!
Chef Marika showing us how to clean the seafood
We learned to clean baby squid and scallops, how to make a batter for deep-frying small soft-shelled crabs called moleche. We sautéed prawns, and made a fresh tomato sauce for pasta….we prepared all of the wonderful seafood and vegetables.
And then sat down to a fabulous feast.
On our boat ride back to the center of Venice, we were happy, sated, and full of wonderful recipes!
for info about Chef Marika’s classes, contact:
Chef Marika Contaldo Seguso
Acquolina – Villa Ines
Via Lazzaro Mocenigo 10
30126 Venezia-Lido
Tel/Fax (+39) 041 526 7226
e-mail info@acquolina.com
Travel to Italy While Staying Home
Modica, Sicilia
When I’m not in Italy, I’m in Italy in my dreams, in my imagination, in my thoughts, in my kitchen, and in my paintings. The country is part of my whole being and inspires so much of what I do.
When I am in Italy I snap images, and take video, in an effort to bring home “a little bit of Italy.” Here are two videos I put together with those images. One is a short compilation of the beauty of Venice…
The other is a short tour of Palermo’s Capo Market…and then a peek into the cooking class my group took on a yacht in Palermo’s harbor…
Later this year I’ll be visiting Assisi, Siena, Florence & Rome. I’ll bring back some more Italy for you. (And me.) In the meantime, visit Italy right now from home…and then, if you can, visit Italy.
Osteria La Zucca in Venice Italy
La Zucca, Venice Italy
Zucca means squash in Italian. Specifically those pumpkin-like green-skinned orange-fleshed squashes perfect for pasta filling, roasting, grilling, and all-around indulging in tasty earthiness that’s also SO good for you.
The restaurant La Zucca is in the sestiere Santa Croce in Venice, a bit of a ways from the neighborhood we stayed in of Dorsoduro. But with map in hand we strolled from calle to calle to campo to campo, getting lost but finding beauty at every lost turn…it’s inevitable…it’s Venice. Getting lost is actually on many top 10 lists of what to do in the city. I highly recommend it!
La Zucca in Venice
Up a pretty bridge and over a pretty canal we finally found La Zucca. We all agreed it was so worth the effort.
Different than a typical Italian restaurant, this one had a lovely creative focus on vegetarian cuisine, but didn’t shy away from meats, too. The interior immediately hugs you upon entering in a warm, yet modern way. The walls are covered in multiple slats of comforting wood. The tables are of the same wood. The menus are beautiful little sculptures of yellow shaped like small houses. And the place mats match the friendly yellow.
La Zucca menu
Just reading the menu is an impressive culinary journey. Deciding what to order is the hardest part. You want to try everything.
La Zucca place setting
I ordered the tagliatelle with lamb ragu. The flavors were deep, multilayered and PERfect.
La Zucca lamb ragu
Duane ordered Porri Grattinati…leeks in a gratin of cheese & cream…seriously heavenly.
La Zucca porro gratinatti
Lana ordered the red rice with tofu and almonds…the creative winner of our table …light and scrumptious.
La Zucca Red Rice w Almonds & Tofu
Our co-travelers sat at another table and enjoyed more and wonderful menu choices.
La Zucca co-diners at another table
Of course, we could not resist dessert. Duane had the luscious limoncello mousse…
La Zucca limoncello mousse
Lana the panna cotta, a dessert of gorgeous taste and color!
La Zucca panna cotta
And I had a fig topped cake drenched in bittersweet chocolate. Yes. To die for.
La Zucca fig cake w chocolate
If you’re in Venice this is a must visit. Here’s their website:
Lana & Paulette
Duane at La Zucca
Beer “bionda” at La Zucca
Thanks to Lana who suggested it (and Whitney, too!)
Lana at La Zucca
Wine Bars “Bacari” of Venice, Italy
Wine Bar
One of my favorite things to do on my recent visit to Venice was to take a meal at a wine bar. Not just a liquid meal! At wine bars they serve cicchietti, small bites, like Italian tapas. These bites, with a small glass of wine called un’ombra (literally meaning the shade), is dinner enough and a small, satisfying adventure.
Osteria Portego, Venice
At one such place, Osteria Portego, we nibbled on potato-onion cakes, octopus salad, and crostini w baccala mantecato (a tasty spread of creamy baccala) . Most of these places have standing room only that spills out to the calle, or campo, or canal-side ledge. I had a glass of pinot grigio, my husband a glass of Castello beer. So fun. So delicious.
Cicchetti at Portego
At another wine bar, this one in Dorsoduro called Al Squero, I tried the popular drink “spritz”…a combo of Aperol, white wine, and sparkling water. Mine had an orange slice, too.
Wine bar menu
One favorite cicchetto that I learned years ago in Venice and still make is simply mortadella and green sotto aceto pepperoncini. Get a 1/2″ slice of mortadella. Cut it into bite-sized squares and triangles. Top with a small green pepperoncino and put a toothpick through it. A yummy bite to follow or precede a sip of wine, beer, or a spritz!
Let me know if you’d like more details about these wine bars and others. Buon Appetito and Cin Cin.
Zucchini Agrodolce Recipe from Venice
Herbs at the Rialto Market
Here’s a short video of my cooking segment on Channel 4’s More at Midday WSMV-TV Nashville…includes a brief glimpse of video from the Venice trip…but I will be posting MORE soon!
Just Back from Venezia
Rialto Market, Venice, Italy
Just led a group of 8 people on a cooking tour of Venice. What a fabulouso trip! Details and recipes coming soon!
Spaghetti alle Vongole
Chef Paulette 