Campo della Pescheria is Venice's fish market, and after seven hundred years it is still one of the liveliest, most colorful sights in the city. Being masters of the sea, it is only natural that Venetians are also expert fishermen and brilliant seafood chefs. In fact, to get a feel of Venetian life and character, it may be better to study the market atmosphere rather than spend hours at the city's museums.
The fish market, or the "Pescheria," as it is called in Italian, is truly a historical place. Venetians have been selling fish on this spot since the 14th century. The selection of regular fish, crustaceans, mollusks and echinoderms such as starfish and sea urchins is endless. Although today the seafood is mostly cultivated on farms, it is possible to find some varieties that come from the real waters, such wild salmon or lobster. The most delectable of all creatures lying on the ice is the pathetically hideous "pescatrice," which in English is called angler or frogfish or even sea-devil, and the "granseola," the spiny spider crab, which has the most tender meat of all. The most typical Venetian seafood dish, "Spaghetti al nero di sepia," is made with cuttlefish. Under heat the cuttlefish ink permeates everything around it; that is why the spaghetti, or risotto, if you prefer rice, is entirely black. Cuttlefish are considered one of the most intelligent species of invertebrates and in antiquity were greatly valued for the pigment they release. Sometimes Venetians use their backbones as toys for their children or even decorative elements for the home. These facts surely make a fascinating subject of conversation as you are gobbling down the pitch-black spaghetti.
Next to the fish market stands the fruit and vegetable market selling fresh produce from mainland Veneto, as well as international imports. The radicchio, a bitter red-leaf chicory, in fact originated in Treviso, just 30 miles north of Venice, in the 15th century. It can be eaten raw with salads, or grilled or roasted, thereby becoming sweeter, and then served with meat. Anyone coming to Venice to paint should definitely find some time and set his easel down by these stands, for the colors, scents and overall vivacity of the place can inspire captivating works of art.
Around the markets we can find characteristic little maritime bars serving up frothy proseccos and delightful tidbits round the clock. Venetians take their aperitifs early in the morning on their way to the fish market to stock up for the weekend. The combination of a salty breeze, a glass of sparkling wine and the view of the Grand Canal is an artwork in itself.
The Neo-gothic edifice overlooking the water above the fish market was designed in 1907, yet not by an architect, but by a painter - Cesare Laurenti.