TRATTORIA alle VIGNOLE
(VIGNOLE)
Throughout this site I mention a number of places that are “one of our favourites” but this one is actually our number one favourite!!!
It’s not the easiest of places to get to but this is just one of the best spots in the whole lagoon. We go there on our boat at least every month during the summer (but you can also reach the island on water bus number 13). The trattoria has huge wooden tables in a big garden with an amazing view of the lagoon. There is a fantastic play area for kids, and after you eat you can go out the back to their farmland and lie on the grass in the orchard, or stroll through the artichoke fields.
Food and ordering
They have a wonderful “antipasto” (starter) selection with sardines, octopus salad, sardines or prawns “in saor” (marinated in onions), and creamed salt cod. There’s lots of pasta on the menu and grilled meat. It’s a more relaxed kind of canteen style service. You order up at the bar and take a tray with your cutlery and glasses, find a table, then wait until they call your name on a loudspeaker when your food’s ready. They often have a delicate risotto with scampi and zucchine flowers from their farm, which we love.
how to get there
If you don’t have a boat, there is a waterbus (number 13) that goes to the island from Fondamenta Nuova. Then you have to walk over a bridge and stroll through a small park between the farms that are characteristic of this island (we get all our vegetables from one of these farms).
FAMILY FRIENDLINESS
The play area for children is nice. If you book in advance, ask them for a table next to the playground, then you can relax while the kids play. Most of the tables in the garden are under a gazebo so there’s plenty of shade. We love to walk round the fields after lunch in the orchard and let the kids kick a football around. The only downside of this place is that the toilets have uncomfortably low toilets that you need to squat down to use and so are often a bit dirty. But you are in the lagoon in the middle of nowhere in the most amazing place, so this can be forgiven!
FAMILY GUIDE QUICK FACTS
High-chairs available: Yes.
Open afternoon/early evening: Yes.
Outdoor seating: Yes.
Space for prams: Yes.
Changing table: No.
Toilets: Basic.
Address: Isola Vignole, 12
Nearest waterbus: Vignole (line 13)
Phone: +39 041 528 9707
Closed: Mondays. (Only open in summer from mid-April onwards)
Opening hours: Open all day 1000-2200
Website: www.isoladellevignole.it/trattoria-alle-vignole.html