Last weekend at the Rialto market in Venice I was surprised to see how many types of artichokes there were to be had. Spiky, spherical, large, small, Venetian, and Roman, each just begging to be grilled, braised, or fried. We don’t get such a wide variety down here in Rome where the carciofo romanesco is king. I found these carciofini (small artichokes) particularly appealing.