Rialto Market Tour: Fresh Fish Shopping and Cooking Masterclass in Murano
5.0
16 Ratings
Venezia
Experience the true Venetian lifestyle with a Rialto Market tour. Choose the freshest fish, cross the Canal Grande on a gondola, and cook a delicious meal in a state-of-the-art kitchen overlooking the canal.
Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Murano Navagero - We will meet at the market place in Venice: Rialto: its fish market is noisy, raw, authentic and full of true venetian life. Fish is artfully arranged on stalls covered with deep layers of crushed ice, seagulls wander among the fishmongers calling out today’s catch, local people purposefully browse the stalls scattered in the two halls of the “Pescheria”, as generations of venetians have been doing so in the last 800 years!
    As soon as we made our best choice for fish, we will cross the Canal Grande on Gondola ferry, very probably together with some local housewives hurring up heading home! We will have a 15 minutes walk through hidden “calles” up to Fondamente Nuove, where will get home in Murano thanks to a short vaporetto ride.
    We will cook our meal together while tasting some glasses of prosecco, some appetizers and enjoying the view on the canal from the dining room.
    Then it will be time to check if we made the best choice at the market and enjoy our lunch: we will have some pasta with a tasty fish sauce while a seabass will be going to be cooked to perfection!
    We will then say arrivederci only after a strong Italian coffee, of course brewed from a moka machine!
What's Included
  • Expert Tour Leader and Nature and Interpretive Guide
  • Complimentary tea and coffee
  • Prosecco and wine included
  • Delicious lunch provided
  • Scenic Gondola ferry crossing of Canal Grande
  • Explore and shop at the historic Rialto fish market
What's Not Included
  • Water bus ticket to Murano. Tickets will be purchased on board
  • Gratuities
Meal Options
  • Sundried tomatoes and mixed antipasti - Biological sundried Tomatoes and Italian vegetable antipasti. Spritz, the Aperitivo drink based on white wine and Aperol/Campari/Cynar

  • Spaghetti alla busara (Spaghetti with tomatoes and stewed clayfish) - A tasty recipe, encased in the Venetian tradition. It is considered one of the most important dishes of the Venetian cuisine.

  • Oven-baked seabass with potatoes - Cooking in the oven wil preserve the fresh and original taste of the fish and of the Adriatic sea, enriched by the flavours of fine herbs and spices.

  • Italian moka brewed coffee & local liquors - We will end up our meal with a strong italian coffee accompanied by local liquors

Additional Information

Don’t merely be a restaurant patron, transform into a genuine Venetian! We’ll choose the finest fresh fish at the Rialto market, traverse the Canal Grande via gondola and rush back to my dwelling. Take charge as your own chef in my ultra-modern kitchen with a view of the canal.
Morph into a Venetian! There’s something uniquely delightful about fresh, seasonal, and local fish, more so when you’ve purchased it personally and prepared it in your kitchen using a local’s advice!

  • On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it
Location
Campo San Giacomo di Rialto
Close to the well in the middle of Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. (near Rialto bridge)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(16 Ratings)
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S6577rusophieo
Apr 5, 2024
Cooking class with Valerio - Valerio is a guide who immediately puts you at ease. Very friendly, passionate! We loved going to the Rialto market with him and cooking at his place. Top!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
451lisis
Feb 25, 2024
Fantastic Venetian birthday tour - We met Valerio in April 2022 on the tour "in the footsteps of Commissario Brunetti" and then immediately found out about other tours with Valerio! Now the time had finally come, I celebrated my 60th birthday with my girlfriend and my 3 sisters in Venice and on my special day we booked the tour "Fish shopping at the Rialto market and home preparation in Murano". It was simply GREAT!!! After our interesting shopping tour at the fish market, we set off for Murano with super fresh fish, vegetables and salad and there, after warming up with Prosecco, we prepared a super delicious birthday meal together at Valerio's. Everyone took on a task and thanks to Valerio's friendly and amiable manner, it was as if we had known each other forever. We all felt very comfortable, the food was simply super delicious and I couldn't have spent my special day any better!!! THANK YOU Valerio!!! .... and on my next visit to Venice, a tour with Valerio is an absolute MUST!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
46erikas
Feb 7, 2023
Venetian Cooking with Mini Private Tour - This experience with Valerio was amazing! I was traveling with my parents and we asked to do a private tour for Covid concerns and this turned out to be the best decision ever! We came to Venice for the day from where we were staying in Bologna and Valerio met us right at the train station and essentially gave us a private tour of Venice. We learned so much history about the neighborhoods, the canals, the address system, etc. He taught us tricks about getting around Venice, and we learned about native shrimp and seafood to the local lagoon. We went to the Rialto fish market to pick up fresh ingredients and then went to the Island of Murano to his lovely home to cook. We probably never would have gone to this island had we not had this experience! We got to make artichoke hearts, roasted fish with fresh herbs and lemon, roasted potatoes and fresh shrimp with spaghetti in a yummy tomato sauce. These dishes were very simple, but delicious! He was such a knowledgeable, friendly, and hospitable host and we learned so much from him! We're not big drinkers so he might have been a bit disappointed that we didn't drink a full bottle of wine or finish our pre lunch cocktails, but he did manage to get my mom to try an amaro which is a big feat! He even recommended places for us to grab some Cicchetti before we had to head back to Bologna.. Overall, I would definitely recommend this tour as a way to learn about and appreciate Venice from a native venetian, and to cook some delicious fresh seafood!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ncastlex
Oct 27, 2022
10/10 recommend - We had an amazing time with Valerio! He was such a great host via WithLocals. We learned a lot and had many good laughs together. He was so warm, friendly, and welcoming — I will definitely be booking with him again next time I return to Venice!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexva1819xv
Oct 13, 2022
Cook Like a Venetian - If you want to feel like a real Venetian, then immerse yourself in this glorious day of cooking. Our host Valerio met us at the Rialto market where together we learnt about all the wonderful local produce.His knowledge is extensive,his hospitality vast. As a group we all had an opportunity to get involved, while learning, laughing and enjoying this experience in Valerio's own kitchen ,making this such a personal experience not to be missed or forgotten.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Franp784
Oct 7, 2022
Great Experiance - This was such a wonderful experience. From meeting Valerio in Rialto to spending the day with the other four guests cooking at his home, everything was terrific. Valerio took the time to make sure we were involved in the process from picking out the fish at the Rialto market as well as the vegetables and dessert, we were part of the preparation. The Seabass shrimp and tomatoes salad and fruit was delicious, everything cooked to perfection. To top it off we had sparkling wine to start & wine with lunch with espresso and an aperitif to finish the day. Valerio offered terrific suggestions what to do with the rest of our time in Murano as well as the restaurant recommendations for our time in Venice. Truly, everything was perfect from the beginning until the end. I wouldn't hesitate to spend an afternoon doing this, I know you won't regret it
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Weau
Jul 17, 2021
Not to miss experience - Perfect Venetian experience - Valerio‘s profound Knowledge of Venice and its history accompanies this market shopping, walking and cooking Tour at every step! The oven-cooked branzino and the artichoke hearts were so tasty and the served wine from the vinyards of confiscated Mafia land went together perfectly! Not to forget the shrimp pasta with spicy tomato sauce as ‚primo piatto‘
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Friedrich_t
Jun 6, 2021
Amazing and memorable - The guide and the fish stands. The variety of fish types was unexpected. It was fun to buy fresh fish and then cook and eat it.
Review provided by Viator
Contessaatlarge
Oct 23, 2020
A great day of Venetian cooking - It was a totally enjoyable and immersive day. The food shopping was great fun, the cooking lesson informative and the meal delicious. Valerio was a knowledgeable and lively guide. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting a break from churches and museums and hoping to learn more about Venetian cooking.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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May 2024
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