RIALTO FISH MARKET
(san polo)
Our children (and us!) love Rialto fish market. Every morning (except Sundays and Mondays) this beautiful, historical market right next to the Grand Canal comes alive. There are lots of fish stalls selling everything from lobster, to swordfish, to cuttlefish eggs! It can be a great place to explore. Children will love looking at the black cuttlefish, octopus, and swordfish. If they look closely some (like “canoce” – mantis shrimp) might even still be alive and squirming around.
FAMILY FRIENDLINESS
It’s very busy around here so keep your children close. The kids will enjoy seeing all the weird fish that Venetians eat. The fish are displayed on crushed ice and it’s quite a sight to see the cuttlefish ink leaking into the ice. Some seafood such as mantis shrimp are still live and moving.
Support the local fishermen!
Much of the produce is locally caught and here you can get a good idea of how the locals eat and what creatures lurk in the lagoon! It’s a great place to wander around and if you are staying in a self-catering apartment it’s also the perfect place to buy fish of course! Everything is fresh. They will often clean the fish for you on request. There is also a vegetable market next to the fish. If you are staying in a self-catering apartment, please please please help to support this local industry by buying some fish from the local fishermen in the market. The selection may look daunting but a bag of vongole is easy to cook (pop them in a pan with olive oil, garlic, and white wine and cover for a few minutes until the shells open) and many of the stalls sell cleaned and deboned sardines or fresh anchovies (just dip in flour and then fry for a couple of minutes for a tasty snack). The market sellers say that if they had a euro for every time a tourist took a photo of their fish they’d be millionaires, yet sadly many of them are struggling to keep their businesses going as very few tourists buy anything.
Address: Calle de la Pescaria
Nearest waterbus: Rialto Mercato
Water bus lines: 1
Closed: Sundays and Monday
Opening times: 0730-1300