Afternoon delight
You know what’s great about eating out in Italy? Campari aperitifs.
There’s a choice of sweet or bitter but I always choose bitter. It goes better with the olive and whatever savoury snack you’re having with it; nuts, sliced meats, bread or the delightful little pizza pies pictured above.
It was a hot day and we’d been walking quite a while through the back streets of Venice when we happened past the Nobile Pasticcerie with a lot of people gathered around, smoking furiously.
A quick peek inside revealed why. Sweet and savoury snacks were carefully arranged behind a glass counter; individual pizza pies, spinach and ricotta pastries, big fluffy white meringues and pistachio biscotti were all piled dazzlingly high.
They were being eaten by locals with one hand while the other held a Campari aperitif and somehow they also smoked a cigarette (a third hand?). We immediately wanted to do the same. Not the smoking bit, but all the rest.
We ordered our aperitifs and pizza snacks and stood by the window grinning.
I love the way Italians eat quickly while standing up at the bar. Whether it’s an espresso pick-me-up, or an alcoholic lets-get-this-party-started aperitif, it creates a certain drama and urgency to the day that’s very very addictive.
Needless to say, this drink and snack were delicious! The pizza dough was soft, made with good quality olive oil and filled with a rich tomato sauce that only the Italians know how to do so perfectly. A small slice of melted mozarella was indeed, the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Venice is a truly magical place and bursting with little hole-in-the-wall places like this to discover. Yes, it can be expensive, but when you’ve got an aperitif in your hand and a great travelling companion, it barely matters.
Pasticcerie Nobile in Venezia
30121 Venezia (VE)
1818, Cannaregio
ph: +39 041 720731
Ciao, Christie x
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10 responses so far ↓
1 VeggieGirl // Oct 31, 2009 at 3:49 am
Ahhh, I miss Venice so much!
2 Email Marketing // Oct 31, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Yum - Campari!
3 Howard // Nov 2, 2009 at 12:28 pm
very nice! Funny you mention the ’stand up’ eating/drinking culture. I just saw a new espresso bar open up on George St in the City and it’s purely stand up!
4 Linda@eatshowandtell // Nov 2, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I’m so envious of you christie- just travelling and eating for the last couple of months. Thanks for highlighting some hidden places, I’ll be sure to check them out when i finally get the chance to travel.
5 zoe // Nov 3, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I loved Venice as well. I’m jealous!
6 LoveFeast Table // Nov 4, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I would love to fit in like a local–anywhere in Italy!! Enjoy! -
7 Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella // Nov 4, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Lovely life they have! Now will you ever return here?
8 tasteofbeirut // Nov 8, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I have to admit that the only time I was in Venice (in January) we did not eat very well. I figured it was because we were in a touristy town. But this Campari! and the amuse-gueule that goes with it! Irresistible!
9 Arwen from Hoglet K // Nov 8, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Wow the pizza pie looks great! Standing up eating always makes me want a third hand too.
10 averagebetty // Nov 10, 2009 at 8:45 am
Funny, it’s not too different here in Venice, California… well, other than the pizza “snack” is a huge slice on a paper plate and the Campari is a beer.
Looks divine!
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