In Venice, there is a famous tradition which is visiting a "cicchetteria", a little restaurant-bar establishment usually hidden in many of the alleyways of Venice.

On Saturday mornings, prior to lunch, you will see Venetians visiting the "cicchetterie" (plural) to sample "gli spuncioni", or hors d'oeuvre type appetizers. In essence, it is like a pub-crawl that you often see in other countries.

This is similar to the tapas used in Spain. In essence, it is Venetian-style tapas and it works perfectly for the pedestrian culture of city. It is a very popular tradition with the Venetians and a big part of their heritage that makes them unique.

The places that serve food and wine are also called "bacari". Many Venetians will wash down gli spuncioni with some refreshing "cicchetti", the local wine (red or white) served in these establishments.

This is also a very inexpensive way to sample some of the Venetian cuisine, usually you can get some of the appetizers for about 1 - 3 Euros.

photo credit: Enrico Rubicondo, fotografo