"C" is for Cicchetti

In the Dorsoduro district of Venice there's a tiny wine bar with a very long name, Enoteca Cantine del Vino Gia Schiavi. Every day we walked past the window filled with plates of fresh cicchetti, traditional Venetian bar snacks similar to the tapas served in Spain. We dropped in several times to sample these snacks and soon began to call the bar 'our little cicchetti place'.

Assortment of Cicchetti

Dining in Venice can be expensive and a plate of cicchetti is a thrifty alternative to meals served in a traditional restaurant. Seafood, cheese, tomatoes, artichokes, salami, figs and other fresh ingredients are used in their preparation. Just point to the morsels that appeal to you and the server will fill up your plate.

Cicchetti at the Bar

You can eat your cicchetti standing up at the bar but I preferred eating outdoors in the sunshine by the canal. There was always a small crowd seated on the stairs of the nearby bridge with a glass of Prosecco in one hand and a plate of cicchetti in the other. The prices to-go are cheaper too.

Cicchetti with Prosecco on the Canal

Cantine del Vino Gia Schiavi, Dorsoduro

If you ever visit Venice I recommend you join the locals and give the cicchetti a try.

Next:  "D" is for Dome