Rialto Mercato

 

The Rialto Bridge

Our second day in Venice was spent in the Rialto part of the city. In particular we visited the Mercato side of the Grand Canal. This is where the markets are to be found.

We wandered along the canal side. Here they are lined with restaurants as you head for the famed Rialto Bridge. The bridge is an impressive pile of highly decorated stone. Needless to say I couldn’t go on it, not with my wheelchair. The Fox went up to see it & the shops on it, though by the sounds of it he was hard pressed to see anything for the crush of tourists on it.

After that we had a stroll along the back streets, finding little squares, dark narrow alleys interlinking them. Finally we found ourselves at the markets.

Throughout our stay in Italy we had missed our veg. Don’t get me wrong there was plenty of veg but only as salads. We like ours hot. We were surprised, too, by the lack of fresh tomato, a highlight of any salad as far as we are concerned. Here in the veg market we were wowed by the ripeness & freshness of the produce, the colours and smells, as good as any French market. When we were last in Italy, a few years ago, we were struck by just how good the Italian veg good be. We had never been struck by the smell of fresh lettuce before, but the vegetable part of the supermarket was heady with it. The veg here was every bit as good.

 

Some of the colour of the vegetable market

 There was also a huge fish market here. By the time we arrived it was clearing up. Obviously it must only be open in the mornings. Even so, what little left on display looked good.

The remnants of the fish market

Whilst in this part of town we decided to buy some Murano glass as a little memento of our stay. We bought it in the form of a beautiful pendant for me. It makes us both smile whenever I wear it.

We then toodled back to the hotel for our nap before returning later to the, restaurant we’d chosen for our dinner. In Italy often the waiters greet you, try to encourage you into their establishment. We’d been stopped by Georgio, (“George, though not Clooney” as he called himself) & been bribed by the promise of a free aperitif if we returned later.

 

Our restaurant. The waiter with the white sleeves & red waistcoat is Georgio, not Clooney

 So we had our meal, sat outside near the canal. Georgio decided what we fancied. It turned out to be the fish of the day, a large sea bream which he served at table for us. We dreaded what the price would be, but it turned out he’d found something quite reasonably priced, not just the most expensive item on the menu...It also was the best meal we had in Venice. The fish was really fresh, clearly from the market nearby.

While we ate we watched life on the Grand Canal. Boats were constantly on the move. Across the canal was a low bridge, crossing another minor canal. Under here the gondoliers ducked as they steered their boats. The evening is clearly a time when the gondolas get very busy, or maybe this is a part of town where there are more on the go. They look so romantic as they slowly pass along, some with musicians on to entertain the passengers.

At one point there was a sudden blaring of sirens. First came a police boat, followed by an ambulance boat, both at full speed. All the other boats scurried away. The wake caused the low lying gondolas bounce so badly they almost overturned. Only skilful work saved the day. Meanwhile on our side of the canal, the wake caused the water to pour over the sides onto the roadside. We gather from Georgio it’s quite a common occurrence. Certainly life on the canal isn’t quiet!