Until European travel becomes fully open to North Americans, here鈥檚 a reminder of the fun that awaits us in Europe.
Venice entertains millions of visitors during a normal year. It鈥檚 particularly crowded with day-trippers when several cruise ships are in port. On a trip a few years ago, I was told by a Venetian friend that these days, almost every restaurant caters to the tourists. Then, with a sly smile, he added, 鈥淏ut there are still the cicchetti bars.鈥�
Cicchetti (pronounced chi-KET-tee) are the local appetizers that line the counters of little pubs all over Venice at the end of each workday. My favorite meal is what I call the 鈥淪tand-Up Progressive Venetian Pub-Crawl Dinner.鈥� In a town with canals and no cars, pub-crawling is easy and safe 鈥� perhaps even safer if you know how to swim. Tonight I鈥檒l visit a series of these characteristic hole-in-the-wall pubs, eating ugly-looking morsels on toothpicks and washing it all down with little glasses of wine. I look forward to the local characters I鈥檒l meet along the way. Cicchetti bars have a social stand-up zone with a cozy gaggle of tables. In some of the more popular places, the crowds spill happily into the street.
Venetians call this pub crawl the giro d鈥檕mbra. Giro means 鈥渟troll,鈥� and ombra 鈥� slang for a glass of wine 鈥� means 鈥渟hade.鈥� It dates back to the old days, when a portable wine bar scooted with the shadow of the Campanile bell tower across St. Mark鈥檚 Square. That wine bar is long gone, but the cicchetti bars remain, tucked away in the perpetual shade of the back streets.
While Venice is, it seems, sinking in tourist crowds, I鈥檇 bet 90 percent of those tourists gather along the glitzy shopping streets between the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark鈥檚 Square. To find a characteristic cicchetti bar, you have to wander. I don鈥檛 worry about getting lost 鈥� in fact, I get as lost as I can. I remind myself, 鈥淚鈥檓 on an island and I can鈥檛 get off.鈥� Even though there generally aren鈥檛 street names, when I want to find my way, I simply look for small signs on the corners directing me to the nearest landmark (e.g., 鈥減er Rialto鈥�).
The cicchetti selection is best early, so I start my evening at 6 p.m. It鈥檚 in the far reaches of Venice that I bump into the thriving little bacari (as the local pubs are called). I ask for 鈥渦n piatto classico di cicchetti misti da otto euro鈥� and get a classic plate of assorted appetizers for 鈧�8. I sample deep-fried mozzarella cheese, gorgonzola, calamari, and artichoke hearts. Crostini (small pieces of toasted bread with a topping) are also a favorite, as are marinated seafood, olives, and prosciutto with melon. Meat and fish (pesce) munchies can be expensive, but veggies (verdure) are cheap. Bread sticks (grissini) are free for the asking.
Part of the attraction is the funky decor. There are photos of neighborhood friends here for a family party, St. Mark鈥檚 Square the morning after a wild Pink Floyd concert, Carnevale masks evoking a more mysterious past, and of old-time Venice, proving that people may change, but the buildings remain essentially the same.
Venetians kick off the experience with an aperitivo, a before-dinner drink. Know your options. A blackboard usually lists several fine wines that are uncorked and available by the glass. Most nights, I get a small glass of house red or white wine (ombra rosso or ombra bianco). Tonight, I鈥檓 in the mood for an Aperol spritz 鈥� it makes me feel more local.
A man asks me, 鈥淟e dispiace se mi siedo qui?鈥� (Do you mind if I sit here?) before sitting down next to me. It occurs to me that鈥檚 a handy, polite phrase for making new friends. He orders a drink and food. When his plate of fish arrives, he picks up one of the tiny fish, delicately tied in a loop. Holding it by the toothpick that harpoons it, he looks at it lovingly, says, 鈥淪ei il mio piu bel ricordo鈥� (鈥淵ou are my most beautiful souvenir鈥�), and pops it happily into his mouth. Pushing over his plate, he offers one of the fish to me.
91原创ing with people makes a pub crawl more fun: You can meet an Italian, learn some Italian, eat better鈥nd collect your own beautiful souvenirs.
This article was adapted from Rick鈥檚 new book, For the Love of Europe.
Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. You can email Rick at [email protected] and follow his blog on Facebook.
