Giacomo Zanon

Venetian from Cannaregio, fourth generation. My grandfather rowed a traghetto gondola across the Grand Canal at Santa Sofia for thirty years, and I rowed with him as a boy. These days I run food walks through the bacari, the small wine bars where Venetians eat cicchetti standing at the counter: baccalà mantecato on grilled polenta, sarde in saor, folpetti, and a small glass of wine we call an ombra. I know the owners, which helps when the counter is three deep. I also do early mornings at the Rialto fish market, when the boats unload and the restaurant cooks argue with the fishmongers. I worked for twelve years in hotels on the Lido and in the city, so I know what visitors get wrong and I do not judge. Venice has fewer than 50,000 residents now. You can now join my walks through Venice live on video, from any device, and ask me questions as we go.