Our next stop is a bit of a walk, but Manni takes us on a scenic route along a canal. Gondolas glide through the water as they do everywhere, but the gondoliers aren’t your typical Venetian stereotype. Instead of striped shirts and the iconic boater straw hat, they look more like tourists, and their rowing skills seem a bit shaky. “He’s learning to row,” Manni says, pointing at the man with weak knees and an oar.
The Rio della Misericordia canal is in the sestiere of Cannaregio. Credit: Getty Images
Despite the popularity of gondolas in Venice, Manni says the tradition is struggling to survive. The high cost of gondolas and the unaffordable living situation in Venice is forcing many gondoliers to seek work elsewhere. “Offering lessons is one way for them to make a living,” he explains. “And regattas – everyone loves a race.”
A few minutes later, we find ourselves in a cosy bacaro with a low ceiling and exposed wooden beams. The last seats are occupied by a lively group of locals, who seemed to have settled in for a while, so we stand, which is the norm here.
Manni points out the sarde in saor, meaning sardines in sweet and sour sauce. It’s made by frying sardines and marinating them in a tangy onion and vinegar sauce, often with raisins.
Every year, on the third Sunday of July, Venice celebrates the Festa del Redentore to mark the end of a plague. Before the fireworks light up the sky, locals deck out their boats and terraces and feast on sarde in saor with prosecco.
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“Ready for the main course,” says Manni, as we finish up our wines, though we feel defeated already by the generous portions. Around the corner is our final savoury stop. It has English menus, which we’re told to avoid in Venice, but this trattoria is more than 100 years old and, as Manni explains, makes the only good pizza in Venice. But we’re here for the squid ink pasta, hearty lasagna and the humming atmosphere.
I’m finally convinced that Venice has good food. But Manni isn’t done yet. He leads us on to gelato, and before we say goodbye, he shares a final stop most tourists miss – Drogheria Mascari, the oldest food specialty shop in Venice.
“It’s a two-minute walk from here, on your way back across the Rialto Bridge.”
The details
Tour
The Venice evening food tour in Cannaregio with The Tour Guy costs $128 a person and includes a pasta dinner. See thetourguy.com
Stay
Hotel Belle Arti Venice offers basic accommodation and breakfast for $132 a night. It’s a short walk to San Marco Square and a 20-minute walk to Rialto Bridge and the southern corner of Cannaregio. See hotelbelleartivenice.com
Fly
Emirates operates regular flights from Australia to Venice via Dubai. See emirates.com
The writer was a guest of The Tour Guy.