Don't…
Snack on pizza and panini

Italy is a country of villages, towns, and regions (each with its own dialect, wines, and culinary specialties) that have been stapled together into some semblance of a nation. Pizza, a Neapolitan invention, is about as Venetian as sushi. And the ubiquitous panino is rarely good here—partly because of the dry white nothingness that passes for bread in Venice, but mostly because the filled roll is not a local thing. There are any number of pizza and panini outlets in the lagoon city, but you'll snack better if you snack Venetian.

Instead…
Try cicchetti, Venice's contribution to global snack culture

Cicchetti are like Venetian tapas. Often based on seafood—schie (tiny gray shrimps) with polenta, baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod), sarde in saor (sardines marinated in vinegar with onions, raisins, and pine nuts)—they are laid out for grazing on counters in bars. Point at your chosen nibbles and the barman will load up a plate and keep the tally. Typically, bite-size cicchetto portions go for between €1.50 and €3 if consumed at the bar in untouristy haunts like Ostaria al Garanghelo or Da Alberto (5401 Calle Larga Giacinto Gallina; 39-41-523-8153).

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