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Goldring Travel’s 2024 Culinary & Cultural Journey (Venice-Athens-Istanbul) on Explora I – Part II (Venice, Italy) 

With only minor flight issues (can you believe that?!) and surviving the ordeal that Frankfurt Airport has become, I arrived in Venice, Italy with some of my clients for the start of the 2024 Goldring Travel Culinary & Cultural Journey.

Ca' Sagredo Hotel
Ca’ Sagredo Hotel

After a short water taxi (140€ + additional luggage charges) we arrived at one of my favorite hotels, Ca’ Sagredo Hotel (The House of the Sagredo family); a wonderfully located 42-room boutique hotel that transports you back to the rich history of Venice with quiet, slightly worn, comfortable elegance.

Ca' Sagredo Hotel
Ca’ Sagredo Hotel

For this hotel, with all of its unique rooms, mine was simply a courtyard view room. But what it lacked in view is made up with its grandeur. (As the hotel sits on the banks of the Grand Canal with vaporetto and traghetto docks on either side, some of the rooms have picture-perfect views.)

Ca' Sagredo Hotel Double Room
Ca’ Sagredo Hotel Double Room

While after a long journey an afternoon nap would seem in order, that just isn’t me.  So, I headed over to A la Vecia Cavana (The Old Lady) to discuss the setup, menu, and wines for the evening’s first Goldring Travel Private Special Event. I was focused on regional wines of the Veneto, even though they are not the most extraordinary of Italian wines. 

A la Vecia Cavana (The Old Lady) Restaurant
A la Vecia Cavana (The Old Lady) Restaurant

After perusing the extensive wine list and sorting out a few details, I said to myself, “Well, I am here, and it is lunchtime. I should have a snack and a glass of wine.” And so I did: Marinated & Fried Sardines with Soft Onions Venetian-Style and Spider Crab Salad served in its own shell – both Venetian specialties – along with a couple of glasses of Soave wine (also from Veneto).

A la Vecia Cavana (The Old Lady) Restaurant
A la Vecia Cavana (The Old Lady) Restaurant
Spicer Crab Salad
Spicer Crab Salad
Marinated & Fried Sardines with Soft Onions
Marinated & Fried Sardines with Soft Onions

OK, it was more than a snack!

Once back at the hotel, a short nap was in order before the evening’s events. How would I explain them in a short phrase? 

A Jew and an Egyptian meet in an Italian restaurant…

What a great evening!  This very local restaurant is known for its extraordinary seafood and relaxed approach.  The plan was to allow everyone to order whatever they wanted off of the wonderfully diverse menu and to have wines that were flexible enough to complement the cuisine rather than necessarily stand out by themselves.

Do you remember all the effort I put in to select the right regional wines? Well, those pretty much went out of the window. Our sommelier was an Egyptian named Moustafa and he immediately made me feel like I was in a bazaar negotiating for my life…but in a good way.   So out went my wine selections and in came more expensive, but still solid wines.

Why did I give in? It was simple: Moustafa was putting on a show, my clients’ loved it, everyone was having fun, and the star of the evening was the cuisine. It all worked out, creating what truly was a magical evening of, well, Cuisine & Culture! (Or, has Moustafa said, repeatedly, “Abracadabra!”)

This evening highlighted how travel, with its opportunities for unique and amazing cross-cultural experiences and the necessity of putting any oenophile pretenses aside when enjoying great cuisine, can be the conduit to both joy and education.  The diversity of what was ordered was fantastic. My plan worked, and everyone – most of whom had never met – wound up offering tastes of what they ordered or even outright sharing dishes. 

Possibly, the Aperol aperitivo followed by glasses of Ca’del Bosco Franciacorta – known as the “Champagne of Italy” – helped set the stage.

Baccala, scampi, squid ink risotto and more. When it came time for me to order, I wanted to try about a dozen dishes and actually was a bit thankful I had already had two of them at lunch.  For my third dish, I ordered Baby Octopus with Creamy Polenta.  (I’ve never really been a fan of polenta, but OMG was it delicious.)

Baby Octopus with Creamy Polenta
Baby Octopus with Creamy Polenta

I then ordered the dish that I had been waiting years to enjoy again: An amazing seafood risotto with depths of flavor that meld all the flavors of the sea. It is the best seafood risotto I have ever had.

An amazing Seafood Risotto
An amazing Seafood Risotto

I went on to order a pasta dish.  Our heavy-set, and somewhat gruff, Italian waiter – who was right out of central casting – questioned me, “Rice and Pasta?” Yes, rice and pasta. “Are you sure?”  Oh, yes I am!  And, thus, over his protests and shaking head, I ordered what will forever be one of my favorite pasta dishes: Tagliolini with Fresh Wild Mushrooms.

Tagliolini with Fresh Wild Mushrooms
Tagliolini with Fresh Wild Mushrooms

As we transitioned from the Franciacorta to a dry, slightly mineral, Italo Cescon Madre Manzoni Bianco, a white grape from the Veneto region for everyone’s starters

We ended with “the big guns”: a 2020 Dagromis Barolo from the Piedmont region. Outstanding…especially with my pasta!

But we were not done! Dessert time. But before the dessert cart was to arrive, things went old school with Gelato alla Vaniglia con Frutti di Bosco Freschi, which sounds so much better than vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit. It was, yet again, a wonderful show of times gone by where flambés were commonplace.

Gelato alla Vaniglia con Frutti di Bosco Freschi
Gelato alla Vaniglia con Frutti di Bosco Freschi

Was it then time for the dessert cart? Nope. One of my guests asked if they had Zabaglione – an Italian dessert made of egg yolk, sugar, and Marsala wine – and another tableside cooking show was to be!

Zabaglione
Zabaglione

I think it is fair to say that our Egyptian friend earned his Italian stripes that evening!

Then,  finally, the dessert cart. I chose a small slice of almond tart to round out our 3.5 hour Venetian Culinary Experience.

While we would be boarding Explora Journey’s Explora I the next day around noon, I was not done with my time in Venice. I was “up and out” by 6:15 AM as I wanted to see Venice without the crowds, the heat, or the noise. It is something I highly recommend.

Grand Canal - Venice, Italy
Grand Canal – Venice, Italy

It was, alas, the first time I could really appreciate Venice. From St. Mark’s Square to tiny little canals with tied-up gondolas to an empty Rialto Bridge,

Rialto Bridge
Rialto Bridge

the serenity and beauty were unforgettable travel experiences that kept me wandering for two hours, guided only by my wonderment as to what was around that corner. (That is until I wanted to head back to Ca’ Sagredo for breakfast when I used Google Maps!)

St. Mark's Square
St. Mark’s Square

After a light breakfast it was a short nap and then off to Explora Journeys’ Explora I.

Next up: First Impressions  Explora Journeys and Explora I After a Year in Service.

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