Venice Restaurant Review:
Osteria Vivaldi

Every tourist's fantasy is to discover a neighborhood restaurant where visitors are received as warmly as the locals who stop in every night. It's unlikely that such an establishment exists, but Osteria Vivaldi--near the Campo San Polo--comes close enough to earn the title of "Venice's Friendliest Restaurant."

Step inside Vivaldi, and you'll encounter a handsome L-shaped wood bar where the proprietor (a gentleman of middle years) is likely to be polishing glasses or pouring wine. Two younger men--a son and a nephew, both personable and fluent in English--help with the bar chores and serve meals to customers at a dozen or so tables. Dark wood wainscoting, antique clocks, knick-knacks, and an array of wine bottles create the ambience of a cozy wine bar that's trendy without being coy.

Wine is available by the bottle, carafe, or glass. (The house white goes down easily.) You can also get food at the bar, but it would be a shame to pass up the chance for lunch or dinner at one of the tables along the wall or in the tiny back room. Prices average L8,000-12,000 for primi piatti and L15,000 for main courses, with desserts in the L5,000 range. There's a modest coperto or cover charge for bread and silverware (as in most Italian restaurants), and tipping is extra.

To start your meal, there's no better choice than the tagliolini Vivaldi. The black noodles--subtly flavored with cuttlefish ink--are tossed with chunks of tomato, fish, shrimp, and chopped parsely. For a secondo (main course), the baccalà is worth trying if you've never had creamed salt cod with polenta, but other meat and seafood entrées are also on the menu. There's a nice selection of desserts, including a pleasant crême caramel.

Good food, great people

To me, Osteria Vivaldi's most remarkable characteristic is the staff's kindness to tourists. On the night I was there, the owner's son and nephew were exceptionally patient with a young Japanese couple who spoke no Italian and little English. Later, I was offered a grappa on the house, and one of the young men came over to say good-bye and shake my hand as I left the restaurant. It's a "feel-good" kind of place, and I recommend it highly.

How to reach the restaurant

Osteria Vivaldi is located on the Calle della Madonnetta in San Polo. You can reach it from the Rialto vaporetto platforms or, more conveniently, from the No. 1 vaporetto's San Silvestro stop (shown as a tiny dot in the broken line on the map below). These directions should help you find the restaurant:

From Rialto: Cross the bridge to the San Polo side, turn left, and walk along the canal until you're forced to jog right. Head inland, past the San Silvestro church, until you reach the Campo San Aponal. Go left down the Calle di Mezzo, which becomes the Calle di Meloni and then the Calle della Madonnetta.

From San Silvestro: Head straight inland to the Campo San Aponal. Go left down the Calle di Mezzo, which becomes the Calle di Meloni and then the Calle della Madonnetta. (If you hit the Campo San Polo, you've gone too far.)

From Campo San Polo: Head for the lower end of the square and look for the Calle della Madonnetta, which is in the corner of the campo opposite the San Polo church.

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