Seeing Venice in the off-season is a must!
Standing on Ponte degli Scalzi on a glorious sunny day in Venice
Episode 105 - Travelling With Monica Cesarato From The Venice Talks Podcast
Last year, while travelling, I wanted to interview local people in person for the podcast when I was in that place, and one of the more successful ventures in this was in Venice.
Monica hosts the Venice Talks Podcast and has been featured on Apple TV, Forbes, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Untold Italy, Lonely Planet and many more! More information can be found on her website here.
I was delighted when Monica agreed to meet me at Cantina Aziende Agricole, a local Venetian restaurant, to chat about this marvellous city.
However, I did manage to offend Monica when I asked for a coffee at 7 pm before the interview began as I was pretty tired, but she insisted I drink wine afterwards, which I did.
If you want a really fun chat about Italy and Venice, then this is the conversation for you. We had a really good laugh! A lot of quips, jokes and interesting information for travellers.
Interesting topics about what not to do in Venice, what types of accommodation you should stay at, how much you should expect to spend, why you should travel in the off-season and some great local recommendations for eating/drinking.
We cover all of those aspects in the episode and so much more! Listen below.
Monica and I sipping a very tasty Raboso wine which is local to the area
Checking out Monica’s recommendations
When you get tips from a local, you must act on them and that is exactly what we did the next few days after the interview.
One of the areas I was really keen to check out was Cannaregio, and I found us amongst locals for the very first time in Venice. It is much more down to earth, with fewer tourists and no grand canals, just housing, local bars, local cafes and washing hanging up to dry from the windows.
Cannaregio area in Venice, a must to check out away from the crowds.
I love coffee, and the oldest continuous coffee roasting company operating in this area is open only in the mornings until 1 pm.
The cafe in question is called Torrefazione Cannaregio, and there are a ton of options for espresso and other types of coffee; it was a great experience and thanks, Monica, for the recommendation.
There were hundreds of options for an espresso so after my usual Americano, I took a lucky dip and picked a random one to try and loved it!
We found our little spot in the cafe for a coffee.
We, of course, checked out all the classics in Venice, such as St Mark’s Square, Saint Mark’s Basilica, Florian Cafe, Bridge of Sighs, Grand Canal and many more.
As in the title of this blog, you should visit in the off-season as the sites are not too crowded with tourists, and you can maybe get away with not booking certain places.
We travelled in February, and straight away, I thought Venice wasn’t that busy given all the horror stories you hear, which has forced the local authorities to implement a daily charge rate for people not staying the night in Venice in 2024.
Additionally, Monica made a strong point of staying in Venice for three days and nights and booking a local hotel run by Venetians; this is the best way to support a city like this.
To finish, February is very mild so walking around the city is very pleasant, there won’t be too many day-tourists, the restaurants are pretty quiet, the sunsets amazing, the coffee tastes good and you can see more of our time there on my YouTube video below.
Explore Venice in the off-season - YouTube
2024 is a big push for my YouTube channel, and I release episodes every week of my travels; you can check out my relatively new episode on Venice above, and to date, it is the most popular episode.
I hope it gives you some insight into how I travel and, more importantly, the place I am travelling in.
Couple that with my audio interview with Monica on Episode 105; you should get enough inspiration from a local and a traveller to get that trip booked!
Subscribe to my YouTube channel today!
Subscribe to my YouTube channel today!
Every week, I am releasing episodes on my YouTube channel showcasing countries that I have and am travelling to with the idea of providing some classic travel wanderlust.
Watch one today, hit the subscribe button and let me know what you think.
Happy watching!
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Venice!
Who is Monica Cesarato?
Monica with the great Eugene Levy - photo credit Monica Cesarato
I'm A Food & Travel Blogger In Venice, Italy
I have been producing my popular blog about Venice & Italy since 2008, I produce a podcast called Venice Talks and I am very active in the culinary scene in the city. My mission is educate, empower, and encourage exploration. I write pieces that examine cultural issues, craftsmen, artisans and so much more in Venice. I have worked with the likes of Alex Polizzi on her amazing Italy series, and Eugene Levy for Apple TV on the program The Reluctant Traveller.
Check out Monica’s podcast, Venice Talks, here on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.