Spring in Venice

Spring in Venice has the scent of the first warm rays of sunshine on the bottom, aperitifs enjoyed in the field and the color of mimosa trees that sprout from unsuspected hidden gardens, between a church and a palace of the sixteenth century.

These are the most difficult things to tell when talking about Venice. The beauty of this island is unquestionable: its most famous attractions, the famous foreshortenings, Piazza San Marco and the gondolas between the canals are well impressed in our minds. But Venice is much more than the sum of its individual wonders, and to miss it when you take a vacation right here is a real shame.

Let yourself be guided by instinct, relax and try to recognize the essence of this particular city. Take the details, dwell on the architecture of less known buildings (many buildings, even non-noble ones, are more than five hundred years old and are still regularly inhabited by Venetians); take advantage of the spring sun rays to stop and contemplate the tranquility of a secluded little square, of an unknown canal, without the anxiety of having to visit all the most famous attractions; plan your itinerary and feel free to modify it at every step without warning, giving up without worries instagrammatissime attractions to accidentally discover lesser-known little pearls in the sestieri less traveled.

Spring blooms will awaken your attention to the many secret gardens of Venice that you can enjoy even just through a fleeting glance through gates and railings. Observe the rising and falling tides, adapt to its rhythm and identify yourself with the "breath of Venice", in its millennial balance between sea and surface.

One thing is certain, you will not regret it.

Risotto di bruscandoli - Hop Shoots Risotto

This is a very old recipe from the Venetian countryside!“Bruscandoli” are the end tips of the hop plants. This plant can be found easily in the Venetian countryside. This risotto can only be made during April since this is the time when the hop shoots. During the month of April the vegetable stalls of Rialto Bridge are full of these plants.

This is a very old recipe from the Venetian countryside (feel free to substitute the shoots with any other sort of root or shoot you like).

Ingredients: a big bunch of bruscandoli (hop shoots) about 300 gr, 300 gr. Rice Vialone Nano or Arborio, ½ an onion, 1 lt. Broth, a bit of butter, 1/2/ glass of wine, olive oil.

First of all rinse and chop in small pieces the hop shoots. Then sauté for few minutes in a large pan with a little bit of oil. Remove from eat.

Now place the butter in a sauce pan and melt it. Add the rice, sauté for a minute, add the wine and sauté then add the shoots and a bit of the broth. Stir and slowly start adding the the broth waiting every time for it to be absorbed by the rice. Keep stirring the rice until it is cooked through. Turn the heat off, add a little bit of butter and a good spoonful of parmisan.

Serve hot. This risotto must not be dry, but at the contrary quite smooth