Venice Supermarkets

ABOVE: The Billa supermarket on the Zattere in Dorsoduro.

Only a few years ago, Venice was a city of neighborhood alimentari or grocery stores, cheese shops, meat markets, and produce vendors. Supermarkets were few and far between. Times have changed, and today you'll supermarkets in most of Venice's sestieri or districts. That's bad news for traditionalists, but it's good news if you're a foreign tourist who's intimidated by unfamiliar shopping customs and language barriers. What's more, shopping at a supermarket can be a time-saver when you're stocking the refrigerator of your vacation apartment or browsing for snacks to keep in your hotel room.

Of the supermarket chains in Venice, my favorite (and my wife's) is Billa, which has at least two stores in the city center: One on the Zattere, facing the Giudecca Canal in Dorsoduro, and the other on the Strada Nova in Cannaregio. (Billa also has a supermarket on the Lido's main business street, near the Lido vaporetto and bus station.)

Billa stores are large, with good selections of prepared foods and better bread than you'll find in most of Venice's bakeries. (The mini-baguettes are wonderful, and the small ciabatta loaves are nearly as good.)

Another popular chain is the Coop. Adriatica, whose stores are smaller but adequate for everyday shopping. The last time we checked, the group had Coop or InCoop stores on the Rio Terá SS Apostoli in Cannaregio (near Venice's only movie theatre), the Campo S. Giacomo dell'Orio in Santa Croce, the Fondamenta dei Vertrai on the nearby glassmaking island of Murano, and in several other locations.

You'll also find a large supermarket around the corner from the west end of the Campo Santa Margherita in Santa Croce. The store looks small on the outside and is easy to miss; look for a doorway and a row of shopping carts across from the Il Doge gelato shop. (Unlike many Venice supermarkets, this one has been around for years, and it's much improved since a recent overhaul.)

Supermarket shopping tips:

• When buying produce, you'll often need to put on a disposable plastic glove, fill a plastic bag, and weigh the bag on an electronic scale that has icons representing various fruits and vegetables. Wait for the scale to print a price label, then stick the label on the plastic bag.

• At deli counters (or in independent meat and dairy shops), you buy cold cuts and cheeses by the etto or 100 grams. For example, if you want 200 grams of prosciutto, point at the ham and ask for "due etti."

• Supermarket shopping hours vary, but many supermarkets are closed on Sundays and for several hours at lunch. Billa is the conspicuous exception: Its stores are open daily, with no lunch breaks, from 8:30 a.m. (9 on Sundays) until 8 p.m.

• If you dislike crowds and get frazzled by long supermarket lines, try to avoid shopping during the evening rush.

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