This excerpt is from the San Marco section of the book; it's taken from an eight-page article on Giorgio Rizzo and the Bar Aperol, a family business that Giorgio took over from his father in 1965:

La gioventù often visit Mago [Giorgio's nickname, which means "Magician"] on their way home from a late night on the mainland, especially those from the Lido. They catch the vaporetto at Piazzale Roma, and when it stops in front of Bar Aperol, they hop off, pick up a brioche, tramezzino, or involtino, and then take a shortcut--about ten minutes on foot--to meet the same lumbering vaporetto at the San Zaccaria stop 20 minutes later.

In addition to quick and tasty food, you'll want to stop here for good coffee (somewhat rare in Venice). Giorgio has served Illy Caffé for a long time. In fact, the company recognized Bar Aperol as Venice's oldest vender of its coffee--since 1966.

"To make a good coffee," he says, "you need a good blend, and you have to maintain your coffee machine, just like a car. It has to be cleaned regularly, you have to make sure to check the filters, and make sure you have a certain pressure. And then when it comes to the coffee itself--piu ne fai, piu buoni diventano (the more you make, the better it is). A bar that makes 1,000 coffees a day will have better coffee than one that makes 50 or 100."

-- From Café Life Venice (text by Joe Wolff)

Next page: Excerpt 2 - Muro, San Polo

In this book review:

Café Life Venice - book review

Excerpt 1: Bar Aperol, San Marco

Excerpt 2: Muro, San Polo

Also see:

Café Life Venice - publisher's Web page

Café Life Paris - book review at Paris for Visitors

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