Fantastic Food Guide to Venice, and an iphone app

Venice Osterie - Apparently, as we discovered on this trip, the place to get a great local dining guide is in a museum.  (The first great restaurant guide I found was at the Villa Borghese in Rome).  We went to the Palazzo Ducale, and found this guide in the gift shop.  It looked good and so Skye and I both bought one.  As it turns out it is the best guide out there for Venice.  Our waiter at Osteria L’Orto dei Mori actually saw me looking at the book and said, “that is a great guidebook”.  Not only does Michela Scibilia (the author) give you the best tips on bars and restaurants, but she also provides a food dictionary in the back to help you figure out what everything on the menu is.    This book is also available as an iphone application called “Tap Venice”.  She also has a book on Murano (we didn’t get there in our two days) as well as a shopping guide to Venice.  If you are going to Venice, BUY HER BOOKS (or her iphone application).  I wish she wrote for every city in the world.  


 “TapVenice is the iphone edition of Venice Osterie by Michela Scibilia. For the past 15 years, Michela’s handbook, now in its fifth edition, has been Venetians’ favourite guide to eating out in their own city”.   
The guide contains only restaurants personally selected by Michela, who has lived in Venice for more than 20 years. What you won’t find in TapVenice is paid advertisements or sponsored recommendations. TapVenice does not require an internet connection. Maps can be consulted offline.”  

Great Murano glass jewelry and other shopping tips

If you go to Venice, you are probably going to want to buy some murano glass of some sort and maybe even some of the paper they are famous for.  Whether it is a vase or a ring or a necklace, I like to have something that is different.   Most of the stores and stalls in the Rialto Market have very touristy looking stuff, but we found several shops once we left the Rialto that had some beautiful stuff.

La Nuova Cortesia –  Skye and I both bought several pieces of really unique jewelry here.  The ring she bought is stunning and I have a necklace and a ring that have earned me several great comments.  They are not particularly expensive but if you like the look of murano glass jewelry, you will get something that will really stand out in a crowd.

San Marco 3721.  41-2410915

La Ricerca.  Venice is known for making paper, in particular, marbleized paper.  I settled on some nice notepaper from La Ricerca.  They had a great selection of beautiful paper, not over priced and had friendly, helpful employees.  They even wrapped it in a lovely marbleized wrapping paper.   What more could you ask for? 

Ponte delle Ostreghe 2431.  Tel:  041-5212606

Viziovirtu:  A fantastic chocolate boutique.   I fully admit having an incredible weakness for chocolate, especially good chocolate.  This place took a little bit to find, but it was absolutely worth it.  Viziovirtu has eclectic and exotic flavors, as well as some really good traditional chocolate.   They even have gelato that is heavenly.  (Of course I got the dark chocolate gelato.  Is there another option when you are at a chocolate store?) 

I picked up several individual pieces and creams and a couple of bars (some were gifts) and let me tell you, it was amazing!  The violet with dark chocolate and the coconut cream were my favorite.  If you like chocolate at all, you should go and sample a few.  Besides, chocolate is good for you.  You might just end up thanking me for it!