One "Shadow" of Wine (Un Ombra di Vino)

When in Rome do as the Romans do.. when in Venice, do as the Venetians do.
Just returned from a beautiful visit to Venice and, believe it or not, this time I did not had a chance to see the famous Piazza San Marco. I was there three days, staying at a little Pensione (Inn/Locanda) in one of the most charming areas of Venice: Castello. The Pensione (Locanda Santi Giovanni e Paolo) is located behind San Marco in a position that is between the popular Venice and the most quiet and typical Venice, where it's very rare to bump into a tourist.

I have been very busy visiting the city for three full days, walking every day for over eight hours, restless and always enchanted at the beauty of this City.

I was so busy discovering places that were new to me (I had been in Venice twice already) that by the end of my stay I have realized I did not get to see Piazza San Marco! I think I am probably one of the very few people who, visiting Venice as a tourist, missed that!

But what I did not miss at all this time were the many local hosterie, where it's possible to get a glass of wine at any time of the day, and eat bread, cheese, salami, or even a Lasagna in a charming, casual atmosphere, spending nothing more than 4 to 12 euros for a tasty lunch.

One of the things I have learned is that in Venice they call the glass of wine, measuring 100 milliliters (ten glasses of this kind full of wine make a liter), OMBRA. Ombra in Italian means "shade", so one OMBRA DI VINO literally translates "one shade of wine"!

Why one shade?

Well the story is well known but probably still worth been told again.. in the past, I assume until the early 1900, there were wine sellers in Piazza San Marco. Most people know that there is a tall belltower standing on this square. So, in the hot months of the year, the wine sellers in the square set their tables in the shade of the bell tower. As the shade moved around the square during the day, the wine sellers kept moving also, so they would always have their stand in the shade, keeping themselves (and the wine) cool.

That's why the name Shade, for a glass of wine.

At first, being an Italian, I did not feel too comfortable with asking for a shade of wine... but I quickly learned to do so, as I have had quite a few over these three days!

It is VERY hard to tell where to find the places I have visited, as in Venice it's hard to name a landmark in the maze of alleys that is one of the most confusing net of streets I have ever been into. And I got lost everyday! As someone says one thing one MUST do when in Venice is getting lost!

So, better than telling you where these places are, is to tell you how to find these places. To find these places you need to leave the flow of the crowd and venture alone in the side alleys. Don't need to be afraid of that, nor brave, just know that you can easily get lost but you can always find your way back! In other words, you need to make that extra effort and walk a little further off the beaten tracks :)

There are so many places of this kind that no way is the wrong way. It is typical to eat a half hard boiled egg with the wine. Some places make sandwiches with the arabic round type of bread, with cheese and different kind of typical Italian salami and prosciutto. Some places have one special dish for the day, like Lasagna. Some bars have the happy hour in the evening during which you can have one of Venice's most popular drink called the Spritzer (sp?) with a buffet.

Sitting at one of these places, relaxed, eating and drinking, it's one of Venice's best pleasures!