Where I left off was before my weekend in Venice. My roommates and I took the overnight train there, which was well worth it because we were able to see Venice wake up without the stress of tourist groups and cruise ship populations invading the city. Arriving in the dark was also interesting. Venice is ghostly early in the morning. A light mist hovers over the canals that meander through the old neighborhoods. We stumbled upon a cafe that opened around 6 a.m. where we stopped to get breakfast. We watched the pastries we ordered come out of the oven, which were absolutely delicious. We managed to find our way to Piazza San Marco when the sun was just starting to rise over the water. Being able to see the Piazza at such a beautiful time of day, especially with hardly anyone there, was the best way to see Venice.
Sometimes little signs like this were the only markers along the way to San Marco.
The next day I saw San Marco, which was magnificent. The cathedral ceiling is entirely covered in gilded mosaic, and was one of the most beautiful churches I've seen so far in Italy.
The next day we wandered around Venice a bit more. I saw some of the installations for the Venice Biennial which were interesting and all vastly different. We took a tour of the three islands around Venice in the early afternoon. It was a nice way to get out to the islands, but listening to the tour guide, and only having twenty minutes on each island wasn't the experience or adventure we were looking for, so we hopped off on Burano to explore at our own pace. This was probably one of the best decisions we made, because we got to see most of the island. It's absolutely beautiful- all of the houses on the island are painted in bright colors, a tradition that goes back to when the island consisted primarily of fisherman. The bright hues allowed them to see the shoreline on stormy days.
My whole reason for going to Burano though was not the houses. Anthony Bourdain traveled there in an episode of No Reservations and ate at Da Romano, a restaurant on the island. I told everyone I traveled with that they didn't have to eat there for dinner, but I was regardless. I was so happy that everyone joined me for that food experience. Da Romano is famous for its seafood risotto, but I asked the waiter which one he suggested anyway (I have had the best meals because of waiters suggestions) We shared a few plates of the seafood risotto, but he also suggested we try the cuttlefish ink risotto also. Both were unbelievable. The fish risotto wasn't overpoweringly fishy, but tasted more like brine and sea water. It was deliciously creamy, and you can tell that it is made with passion and respect for the ingredients. Nothing was there that didn't need to be: it was the perfect combination and ratio of simple, but fresh, ingredients. The cuttlefish risotto was completely black, and turned our teeth the rich ink color. Also delicious, with a richer fish flavor than the former. I mentioned to the waiter that I was there because of No Reservations, and how much I enjoyed that episode in particular, and he took me back to the kitchen to meet the chef! It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had.
Photos courtesy of Caroline Landau. My camera died just before we sat down for dinner.
I could not take the smile off of my face for the rest of the evening. It was a dream come true for the budding foodie in me.
This is a clip from Anthony Bourdain's time in Burano. I can't wait to go back over my Fall break.
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