Do what Venetians do, head out to a bacaro! Venetians would say they are going for a “giro d'ombra “– meaning a “round of shadows”.
Venice, Italy is considered a large city today, it consists of neighborhoods on the mainland as well as several islands in the lagoon. She is visited by millions of tourists each year. The locals try to avoid the main tourist areas and stick to their local neighborhood wine bars called bacari or osterie that serve cicchetti, think Spanish tapas. Cicchetti are small snacks or side dishes and can be eaten standing up at the bar with your fingers and toothpicks.
There is no need to blow your travel budget to eat and drink well in this beautiful intoxicating floating city. Follow the locals to their favorite bacari (bacaro is the singular), to enjoy a glass or two of an ombra with some cicchetti – Venetian finger food. A single piece of cicchetti is called a cicchetto.
Venetian wine bar culture is centuries old and is scattered across Venice’s labyrinth of alleyways. It is surrounded by three famous neighboring wine regions - Soave, Prosecco, and Valpolicella - channeling their goods through the floating city’s canals.
Venice's many bacari bars are quite active during the day, as Venetians typically eat cicchetti in the late morning, for lunch, or as afternoon snacks. Cicchetti are usually accompanied by a small glass of local wine, which the locals refer to as an ombra. Ombra means shadow or shade in Italian. It is either a small glass of house red - ombra rosso - or white wine - ombra bianco.
The bacaris serve what is known as Vino della Casa - house wine. It is a type of wine that belongs to the least strict wine classification in Italy: VdT or Vino da Tavola. These types of wines do not have strict production regulations. The grapes must be grown in, fermented, and bottled anywhere in Italy.
Want to sound like a local Venetian? To invite someone for a drink you would say, “Andémo béver un'ombra” meaning “let’s go and drink a shadow”. Traditionally, you would drink an ombra in one shot.
How did this phrase come about? It takes its roots from the period where Greeks and Slavs wine merchants would unload their wine barrels on the wharf along the Riva degli Schiavoni around the corner from the famous Piazza San Marco. The wine was sold in shaded stalls at the base of the bell tower of the San Marco cathedral; as the sun danced across the Venetian sky, the wine stalls followed the shade of the bell tower so that they can always stay in the shade and avoid the heat of the sun ruining their wine. The name stuck, and a small glass of local wine in Venice remains an ombra. If you order a "Un bicchiere di vino", you will be served a glass of higher-priced fine wine that is currently uncorked and available by the glass.
How did the bacari get its name? The bacari are ancient Venetian wine taverns, according to legend it was called this way after #Bacchus, the god of wine. But there is an ongoing lively debate still today, some believe that the name derives from “far bàcara”, a dialectal expression that means to celebrate. I would lead with the latter, the bacaris are among the most popular places in Venice to gather, eat and drink great local wines.
Vivere la dolce vita! Living the sweet life! First and foremost, I am a #winelover and I want to try to make my love for #wine contagious. At @cc1SipAtaTime, I want you to experience a love of wine in an easy-going manner with no Uber geeky stuff involved!