• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

Trattoria Altanella    (Photo: Courtesy of Visit-Venice-Italy.com)

Follow the smell of boiled octopus and roasted dorade through a large boatyard on the lagoon side of Giudecca to Ristorante Mistra (Giudecca 212A; 041-522-0743). Housed in an airy, sun-drenched loft above a gondola workshop, the restaurant caters to boatyard workers with delicious, cheap lunchtime specials like simple pesto and spaghetti.

Have a meal with the Penzo family, who’ve owned Trattoria Altanella (Giudecca 268; 041-522-7780), resting on a quiet canalside in Giudecca, since 1889. If it’s not too chilly, take a seat on the canopied terrace and nibble on the house special, gnocchi with inky cuttlefish, or scarf down hot plates of fritto misto with bottles of Raboso, a red from the adjacent Piave region. Desserts are still homemade by Mama.

Zigzag down a few streets from the overlooked Campo San Paolo to friendly Taverna del Campiello Remer (Cannareggio 5701; 349-336-5168), on the southern flank of San Paolo, a residential district. The place bustles with stylish locals and a handful of tourists agog at the heaping plates of prosciutto, Parmesan, and pasta.

Published on Nov 21, 2007 as a web exclusive.