Venice: Cichetti Crawl

•  Get the private water taxi from the airport and have them drop you at the Taverna Al Remer.

Doing a Cichetti Crawl:

• Cicchetti  (https://theromanguy.com/italy-travel-blog/venice/where-to-eat-the-best-cicchetti-in-venice/ )is a popular Venetian snack food typically served in small portions at bars and restaurants throughout the city. While there is no strict etiquette for eating ciccheti, there are a few customs that visitors should be aware of.  Firstly, it is common for Ciccheti to be eaten while standing up at the bar. I wouldn't take them strolling around the city! However, some bars and restaurants do have tables where customers can sit and enjoy their ciccheti. Generally, the one that serves you at the table are more expensive and more touristic. Some of the traditional may have some tables and you do not pay extra charges. In terms of timing, cicchetti can be enjoyed at any time of day, whether it is for breakfast, lunch, or as a pre-dinner snack. However, for Venetians, it is more common to eat cicchetti during lunch or before lunch, where for tourists, I would say more in the late afternoon or early evening, as it is a popular pre-dinner activity. Overall, the best way to enjoy ciccheti in Venice is to embrace the local culture and enjoy the food in whatever feels most comfortable. Also note that cicheti (that's the original Venetian word) were originally conceived to be paired with a glass of wine (ombra). Pretty much like Spanish tapas.

• Whilst you don't have necessarily to drink wine with cicheti, perhaps knowing this will make the experience more enjoyable.

  Nobody prevents you from doing a cicheti crawl, if you wish, it's pretty common.

• There are quite a few in the Cannaregio area for sure and do not underestimate the Rialto Mercato area..... in particular in the small, hidden lanes to find the real ones and where locals still go!

• Venice was one the European cities where hot chocolate was first introduced, so that's definitely the place to be.

  However note that it's seasonal and paradoxically you may not find it outside the colder months in some of the more refined pastry shops and cafes. At least so it's in most of Italy, and never felt the need to ask for hot chocolate on a sunny spring/late summer day in Venice.

  On the other hand, I am confident Quadri and Florian sell it year round and some other places busy with tourists might do the same.

  Last but not least, there is not such a thing as breakfast cicheti. Most mainland Europeans don't have specific breakfast habits at all.

  Specifically, in Italy the elderly and most babyboomers just have a cup of espresso coffee for breakfast, whilst the younger generations (including me) are aware of the importance of a balanced breakfast.

  Sometimes, regardless of our demographics, we may want to have breakfast at some coffee bar, and that typically includes coffee or a cappuccino and a pastry. Besides cornetti and bomboloni (doughnuts), in the more revered Venetian bars and coffee shops you can also find a kind of braid-shaped pastry known as "kranz", originally introduced by the Austrians.