Whenever I visit a city, town or village, I always like to go to the local food market. It is here you usually find all the locals and can get a real feel of what it’s like to live in such a place. I love the buzz, colours and smells and it’s surprising what produce you can find – some of which you may never have seen before.

The market was just opposite our Airbnb so it was a great opportunity to pop across the water and pick up some fresh fruit for breakfast.

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I had read up on Vencie before I went and was slightly concerned about my inability to eat gluten, as of course this is the land of pasta and pizza!

I was intrigued by the cocoa and blueberry pasta! Has anyone tried it?

If like me, you are gluten-free then do not fear! As long as you don’t expect gluten-free alternatives to pasta and pizza in every restaurant, Venetian cuisine is actually very much fish, rice and polenta-based. I just lived on grilled fish, seafood and risotto and I had no problems at all. It was absolutely delicious!

Grilled cuttlefish and polenta.

Octopus salad.

Grilled monkfish and polenta.

Langoustines.

Of course Venice is not all about food! As we had been before we only quickly went to St Mark’s Square but spent most of our time winding our way around the back-streets which were virtually empty – complete bliss!

Basilica di San Marco

The detail of the marble is insane!

The Bridge of Sighs

Palazzo Ducale

Detail of the Palazzo Ducale.

Gondolas with the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in the background.

As much as St Mark’s Square is stunning, it was a relief to get away from the other tourists!

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The absolute highlights of this trip for me, were cruising up and down the Grand Canal (in the day and then at dusk) and visiting the colourful island of Burano. I will cover these in two further posts. Details of the amazing Airbnb we stayed in are in my previous post on Venice.