Almost every bar serves sandwiches at least, while a distinctive aspect of the Venetian social scene is the bacarò, which is essentially a bar that serves a range of snacks called cicheti, plus sometimes more substantial meals. Conversely, many restaurants are fronted by a bar, which may stay open long after the kitchen has shut down for the night.

Wine bars
The Veneto produces more DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata) wine than any other region of Italy, so it’s no surprise that it’s bursting with bars in which you can sample Valpolicella, Bardolino, Soave and Prosecco, the last a light, champagne-like wine from the area around Conegliano. Al Volto has the city’s widest selection.

Seafood
Venice has dozens of restaurants, some very good, some very bad, some very expensive, many not, but almost all of them have one thing in common: seafood dominates the menu. Visit the Rialto fish market for an overview of what’s on offer.

Cafés
Europe’s first café opened in Venice in 1683, and within a few decades Goldoni had created a play in which the hero, a café owner, declared “my profession is necessary to the glory of the city”. Coffee culture is still crucial to Venetian life, with every parish having its busy café-cum-social-centre.

Gelati
Every Italian city has its makers of sinful homemade ice cream, and Venice has some of the best. Don’t go home without sampling the products of Paolin, or Nico, or Causin.

Cicheti and sandwiches
Virtually all bars will have a selection of plump tramezzini(sandwiches) at lunchtime, and in many – such as the Osteria alle Botteghe – you’ll find an enticing array of cicheti, typically including polpette(small beef and garlic meatballs), carciofini(artichoke hearts) and polipi(baby octopus or squid).

Pasticcerie
Venetian pastries are as delicious as any in Italy. Look out for the Antichi Pasticceri Venexiani sign: membership of this group signifies high standards and top-quality ingredients. No standards – or prices – are higher than those at the famous Marchini.