Venice, Italy

The restaurants in Venice offer a wide variety of cuisines, ranging from international fast food to five-star Italian dishes. Many of the specialties are seafood based, and there are excellent vegetables in-season from the gardens of the Isola di Sant'Erasmo. In autumn, look out for the Torbolino: an immature Pinot Nero whose arrival announces that winter is on its way.

For a light snack try an osteria or bar which serves cicchetti (meaning "a pick-me-up"), usually meatballs, fried vegetables, anchovies, olives and cured meats, or even a sandwich, whose delicious dough is made from the city water.

Rialto

There are many bars and osterie close to the Rialto Market, which serve fresh food—they are subject to a quality control, which is carried out daily by the local residents. Places like Da Pinto offer high-quality Venetian dishes that cater to locals and tourists alike. Venice loves to have a good drink, as does the whole of the Veneto region. There are many popular wine bars that have become real institutions. Unnamed house wines of varying quality can be found everywhere; to be sure of a good bouquet try Do Mori. A few years ago the Da Fiore, also in this area, was named best restaurant in the world.

San Marco

A lot of Venice's top-quality gourmet restaurants can be found in San Marco, the most prestigious area of the city. Harry's Bar is a name to remember, as are Do Forni and Antico Pignolo. One of the other cafes located in the piazza, famous for it's coffees, teas, desserts and light lunches, Caffè Florian looks out onto the piazza and offers an exquisite, unforgettable experience.

Cannaregio, Santa Croce & San Polo

Situated near Piazzale Roma and the University, off the tourist trail, Campo Santa Margherita is always reasonable. This area consists predominantly of pubs, bakeries, gelaterie (ice cream shops) and pizzerias, which cater for a mostly student clientèle. In summer it's the only area that stays open until late at night, much against the will of the elderly population in this district. This is also the "artistic" quarter, where actors, directors, architects, designers and a range of other artistic types hang out. Antico Dolo is one of the most popular eateries that can be found in these districts.

According to official historical accounts, one of the first important events in the history of Venice was the election of the first doge, a type of magistrate, by the Byzantines in 697. His name was Paoluccio Anafesto. The domination of Byzantium is much talked about but has little factual basis. However, the city was already established in 811 when it moved to the Rivoalto, which is now called Rialto, from the islands around Torcello and Malamocco. Agnello Partecipazio was the doge at this time. The remains of San Marco were brought to the city in 829, rescued by two fishermen.

The city had more or less taken on its current appearance by 1000, when it was governed by Pietro Tribun. The ordination of power took place in 1177, when Alessandro III met with the Emperor Federico, to negotiate relations between the papacy, the council and the empire. However, in 1204 the situation changed when, after providing ships and equipment for the fourth crusade, Venice first received help to re-conquer Zara. This unusual crusade started out to conquer Jerusalem, but ended up sharing out the remains of the Byzantine Empire; Venice won control of a huge part of the spoils. Thanks to a commercial policy that also set up a strict military stronghold, the territories became their rightful property.

The state evolved with the decree of the Great Council in 1297. This act only permitted citizens to participate in the Council if their ancestors had served on it. As a result the number of nobles in power increased which guaranteed, in theory, that they would continue to hold power even if a rival faction took over. As a result, political struggles were poisoned by many private feuds. According to Bartolo da Sassoferrato, although it is true that the nobility were not much respected by the people, they had more respect than in other cities which were governed in the same way. The population mostly accepted their government, and, as there was such a large population, there were few internal divisions. The majority were reasonably well off, which meant that society was fairly stable.

Struggles with the Ligurian city of Genoa were a problem until a century later, in 1380, after the war of Chioggia. At this point it was no longer a military obstacle, and even though they now had control of the eastern routes only commercial rivalry remained.

Events that took place around the middle of the 15th Century would change the fate of the Mediterranean forever. The expansion on the mainland, and the conquest of a great part of Lombardy was the driving force in successive alliances to overthrow an overwhelming power, the first of which was the definitive fall of Constantinople to the Turks. The trade routes, which were the basis of the Italian states, became insecure, and mercantile trade started to decline. The final straw was the discovery of the American continent. The Mediterranean was on the brink of becoming a kind of lake under the threat of the Ottoman Empire. For many, it was the beginning of the end.

Although Venice had a somewhat overrated victory at Lepanto, Cyprus fell and the loss of Crete in 1669 was the ultimate insult. Thirty years later, Venice regained possession of Morea for a period of twenty years. The Turkish wars ended in 1718 with the overwhelming victory of the Turks. Venice then enjoyed its last century of freedom under the rule of the nobility; in 1797, Napoleon handed it to Austria, after feigned negotiations. In 1805 he returned to Venice and completed the domination of the city. The industrial structures were knocked down and the city became a shadow of its former self. In 1848-9, it was invaded again by the Hapsburgs, and in 1866, it was united with the Kingdom of Italy.