5 Things To Do in Venice

Venice is a city with a long and rich history but also a vibrant contemporary life full of students, artists, cafes, and restaurants. Here is a small list of great places where you can experience Venice as it was meant to be seen, from the inside like a Venetian.

* Have a gelato

Gelateria Alaska serves ice cream that is totally unique. Every flavor is made right there in the shop by the owner Carlo, who delights in concocting special flavors like turmeric and orange-arugula. The ice cream itself is light and not too sweet – a truly refreshing mid-afternoon snack.

* Browse the stacks at Acqua Alta

A bookstore can’t be more Venetian than Acqua Alta, named presumably for the floods that come in calf-deep during the high tide season. The books are piled abundantly high in bathtubs and gondolas and there are lovely furry cats that wander through the store. This delightfully eccentric place is always worth a visit.

* Eat cicchetti at Al Bottegon

This bar is situated on one of the most picturesque canals in Dorsoduro and it’s owned and operated by three generations of one family. The matriarch at its head, Luisa, is a master of inventive cicchetti-making. These bite-size savory snacks are tiny slices of bread with a variety of toppings that get washed down with a drink in the evening. You can choose between thinly sliced wisps of lard spread with honey, soft cheese topped with nettle pesto or tuna with mayonnaise and cacao. This is a delicious slice of Venice as it was.

* Shop at the fish and produce markets

The market is a central part of local culture and at Rialto, you’ll get to see all the delicious seafood brought in fresh every day by fishermen. There is also a vegetable and fruit barge located at the southern edge of Campo Santa Margherita and they sell locally grown produce right on the canal. They operate every day but Sunday, with a break during lunch time. Try to go early in the morning for prime people-watching.

* Visit artist and artisan workshops

Artisan workshops are a part of a vibrant local culture in Venice that is being slowly smothered by mass tourism, with its promises of cheaply made objects at low prices. If you’re visiting Venice, be sure to support local artists and artisans who are practicing their craft. Check out the glass jewelry made by Moulaye Niang, an Afro-Venetian glass master at Muranero, where no two pieces are ever the same. Peruse the hand-bound books at Paolo Olbi, who uses high-quality leather and marbled paper. These places sell things that are truly unique and authentically Venetian.