As magical as the city of Venice is, La Serenissima doesn’t have the best reputation for eating out. Sure, there are some legendary restaurants such as Harry’s Bar and the Cipriani, but in the whole finding good, good-value food happens more by accident that design. Luckily Venice does have one the country’s great fresh produce markets; the Rialto. Spilling out from the streets underneath the famous bridge of the same name, shopping at the Rialto market is one of the most ‘local’ experiences you can have in Venice. The Rialto market is closely entwined in the city’s history and has occupied its position near the banks of the Grand Canal for almost a millennium. As Venetian merchants established their trading networks across the Adriatic and beyond, the Rialto area became an important commercial hub. And although the Rialto market has reduced greatly in size since Venice’s Golden Age, it still puts on one of the city’s greatest shows. By dawn, large barges arrive carrying fruit, vegetables and fish, which leads to a cacophony of screaming as vendors bargain for the best prices. Huge carts of produce are then hauled to either the Erberia (fruit and vegetable market) or the Pescheria ...

Ponte di Rialto is the most magnificent bridge in Venice and one of the finest in Italy. The area around the Rialto Bridge is very much the heart of Venice and to roam the romantic streets while licking delicious Italian ice cream is an experience that cannot be beaten! There are a few ice cream vendors in and around the Rialto area and one of the most popular and best is La Boutique del Gelato which is on the corner of Calle Paradiso and Salizada San Lio. La Boutique del Gelato is considered to be the best place to buy ice cream in the Rialto area of Venice and probably in the whole of the city. Simply, the quality of the ice cream is superb and is complemented by an extensive choice of flavours and the generous size of the scoops. There are one or two ice cream sellers in Venice who sell ice cream cones that hold little more than a couple of hearty licks, whereas La Boutique del Gelato is considered to be reasonable value bearing in mind the amount of business the ice cream shop attracts especially in the summer months. La Boutique del Gelato is open ...