Monday was manic, so I decided to rearrange a couple of days, the itinerary allowed for it, Mrs R had reminded me ‘I was on holiday’, whilst checking everything was ok back at home, and I should not overdo things. When I woke up early it was raining, during breakfast the weather cleared, it was going to be a nice day.

So things re-ordered I set out for the lunchtime destination via a variety of shops, trying to get into the Venetian way of life, the fruit and veg shops were beautifully presented as were the bakers and patisserie.

Two restaurants were booked for Tuesday, lunch at Osteria Alle Testiere and dinner at Osteria Anice Stellato. You would not believe (well, probably my close friends would), how much time and effort went into choosing and booking the restaurants, there was only one failure, I sent them a polite email and got no response, disappointing, but there were plenty of others to choose from!

As mentioned in my first blog post, the routing and visits were anchored to restaurant locations, the restaurants were a mixture, top end, local and old, I wanted to taste Venice in as many ways as possible, no tourist menus, Pizza, or anything that did not feel Venetian. My 2nd requirement was to try and keep away from busy areas, apparently an impossible task, but, as I was staying in Venice, I could get going before the bulk of the day visitors turned up, to swarm around St. Marks Square and the tourist hotspots.

The exception was probably the most famous bookshop in Venice pictured above, apparently it was quieter than usual! I did buy a book.

The map above shows some of the early planning , red around restaurants and yellow water bus stops, something that was to be an adventure in its own way, they are great fun, but you do need to allow more time than you think as the Central Canal can get extremely busy. The restaurant on Tuesday evening was to the far north of the city, and was another useful test of the water bus for later in the week.

Tuesday was now more relaxing as there were less planned places to visit. I had taken Thursday afternoon and some of Friday, which were also more relaxed and moved Tuesdays itinerary and split between Thursday and Friday, if that makes sense. It enabled a ‘window shopping’ approach to the day, looking at artisan shops and menus!! Passing the lunch date, I nosied through the window and saw the fresh vegetables on the corner table and quickly checked to menu to see what was on offer, I was getting hungry.

I had hoped to get to the viewing platform of a well know shopping centre, DFS! Unfortunately, I had missed the fact that it obviously needed to be booked, and I had not, no spaces for over 2 weeks, but I had other plans! Whilst mooching around I saw a familiar logo 1605 Giusti Modena, Balsamic Vinegar. I had just finished my bottle purchased whilst on a trip to Florence many years ago, I soon had myself a new bottle and one that was even better than the previous excellent one, perfecto.

Next stop lunch, and I was excited, I had seen and heard great things about this small restaurant, and I was not going to be let down.

The restaurant only has 6 – 7 tables, it’s very popular, it’s extremely good, in fact awesome. Some amazing chefs have eaten here, like Angela Hartnett OBE, Stanley Tucci, my inspiration for the trip the late Russell Norman, Rick Stein the list goes on. They let me in the kitchen for a couple of pictures, petit, spotless, and organised I was struggling to think such as small space could produce plates of such wonderment and delight.

The food was knockout, I mean Pilgrim Scallops with Lemon and Peppermint, what a plate of deliciousness, cooked to perfection, the Lemon and Peppermint were obvious but so so subtle, I have never eaten a dish like it, just stunning and yet, simple in its complexity. WOW, WOW, WOW.

Yes, there was wine, it would be rude not too. Luca, picture above left is a professional sommelier, and picked a delightful Ua D’Oro, made from the historic DORONA grape, beloved of the Venetian Doges, known as ‘The Gold of the Doges’ due to the golden hued grapes used in its production, boy it was really really good, what an absolute pleasure.

For the mains I went for Prawns with Fresh Coriander and Lime, with vegetables from their garden, another stunning plate of food perfectly paired with the wine, it went down a treat. Whilst eating, several people popped in to check for availability, sorry, no, fully booked. Get the message, this is an awesome local Osteria, one for your list of must eats if you visit Venice, but book well in advance, I booked in March for a June sitting!!

Whilst in the famous bookshop I picked up a bargain cookbook for €14 to add to the library, and inside, well well, what a find. Dessert was tempting but knowing there was another meal to eat in the evening I politely declined, but what a lunchtime treat.

After the required rest, change etc. the Vaporetto was to be my saviour. Rather than walk the 35 minutes or so to the evenings destination, the No.1 water bus from Arsenale allowed a more leisurely 10 minute walk, through canal ridden thoroughfares, buzzing with people enjoying the sun blessed evening, it was delightful.

Osteria Anice Stellato is in the northern Cannaregio sestiere, another restaurant I booked in March, I was watching all my targets for availability and booked as soon as the systems allowed!

A delightful restaurant by a canal named rio della sensa, a short walk from the water bus stop S.Marcuola -Casino it serves inventive Venetian cuisine and some really very good local wines. The story behind Fataman Vino Blanco is brilliant and right up my street, handmade (picked) artisan wine using old, deep-rooted vines, numerous varieties and local to the Veneto area.

The fermentation process is ‘in it’s own skins’ for 5-6 days without any temperature control, then matured for 18 months, only 1500 bottles are produced. Drink young…..yumm, that it was, very delicious, and recommended by the waitress who service skills were polite, friendly and charming.

By the way, the label was designed by the owners daughter, a lovely touch.

How about the food, yep, delicious again, the Mackerel was perfecto, cooked just enough with the accompanying peas, mint and apricot the flavours were surprisingly well matched with the oily fish.

For mains it had to be the Octopus ravioli with coconut cream and sumac, delightful the pasta just chewy enough to give way to the delicious and perfectly cooked Octopus.

I forgot to mention the surprise taster at the beginning, a Tomato Gazpacho, with from memory, a cod cream, but I might be wrong, either way, it was also very tasty.

As I made my way back to the hotel it was late evening, about 23:17! and the streets were quiet, I was thinking about the day, the wonderful sights, the stunning food and amazing memories. St Marks Square was quiet, I ‘snagged’ a picture of the ‘Bridge of Sighs’, no people nudging and bustling me, it was calm… I was happy, but really missing the family.

…………………. Until Next Time ………….. L8ers ……………………………