BACARO: A LONG JOURNEY

Bacaro: Venetian bar culture

In Venice, Bacari are as much a part of the local culture as the rest of the city. They’re sprinkled all over the place, and serve up cocktails, spritz, prosecco, and local wines known as ombra, which only cost few Euros.

Depending on whom you ask, bacaro comes from the Venetian word for “wine” or “a good bar,” or even from the ancient Roman god of wine, Bacchus.

A Bacaro is a type of traditional Venetian tavern where locals gather after a long day’s work to laugh, relax, and enjoy each other’s company.

It is a rich Venetian tradition passed down from generation to generation where you go from Bacaro to Bacaro (or bar to bar) to get something called “cicchetti” and “ombra.”

Small by nature, these taverns give you an intimate, front-row seat to local Venetian culture and authentic, no frills cuisine.

OmBRE and CICHETI

Ombra

Cicchetti (or Cicheti)

Legend has it that in ancient times the wine was served by street vendors in San Marco Square. They used to follow the shadow of the bell tower, in order to keep the wine cool. Hence the use of the word “ombra” (“shadow” in Venetian dialect) to name a glass of wine.

Cicchetti (or Cicheti)

The bacaro serves infinitely varied, kaleidoscopically colorful small plates called "cicheti" (or cicchetti) (pronounced “chi-KET-tee”) — said to derive from the Latin “ciccus,” meaning “little” or “nothing.”

Andar par bacari (Bacari tour)

Each year, 20 million tourists visit Venice. The vast majority will pay too much for indifferent food eaten mostly in the company of other tourists. But there’s one way to eat great Venetian food that’s thrilling, filling and authentic. You’ll find it at a place where you’re almost certain to rub and bend elbows with locals. Visit a bacaro.

The bacaro serves small plates called "cicchetti". The term embraces a broad range of dishes: polpette (fried meatballs), crostini (small open-faced sandwiches), panini (small sandwiches on crusty rolls), tramezzini (triangular white bread sandwiches) — and a scintillating array of pickled, baked, stuffed or sauced seafoods and vegetables.

"Andar par bacari" (Bacari tour) is the tour that every Venetian doc does among the bacari of the city to enjoy a "cicheto" and drink a "ombra".

All terms are in Venetian dialectal, because they contain years of Venetian history and culture, ancient traditions that are renewed generation after generation.