Overview
Venice is more than a city built on water. It is a living lagoon culture shaped by fishing, farming, trade, craftsmanship, and an enduring intimacy with the tides. Over six unforgettable days, New York Times bestselling author, television host, and culinary historian Katie Parla will lead you beyond the well-traveled paths to discover the people, places, and traditions that give Venice its distinctive character.
Travel from the Rialto market and neighborhood bacari to a hidden vineyard, a regenerative farm, and the quieter islands of the lagoon. Row a traditional Venetian boat, venture onto the water for a crash course in ecology, explore Murano’s glassmaking heritage, and gather around the tables of cooks who translate the lagoon into extraordinary food. Through rare encounters, exceptional meals, and immersive experiences, Katie will illuminate the connections between Venice’s cuisine, history, and daily life, revealing a complex and ever-evolving place that few visitors have the opportunity to know.
* Day-to-day itinerary is subject to variations.
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Discover Venice: Day-to-Day Itinerary
Welcome to Venice
- Private transfer via water taxi to Hotel Ca’ Sagredo, a 15th-century noble palace turned hotel nestled onto the Grand Canal that will be our home for the duration of our stay.
- Welcome cocktails
- Dinner at Vini da Gigio, a beloved Venice institution located in Cannaregio, where locally sourced produce from the Veneto and delights from the lagoon come together in a menu curated for the occasion.
Roaming Rialto
- Breakfast at Pasticceria Bar Martini before taking a gondola traghetto to Rialto
- Walking tour through Venice’s Rialto market, to see how lagoon seafood and produce shape the city’s cuisine.
- Graze through classic bacari and neighborhood wine bars to taste expertly prepared cicchetti, Venice’s signature small plates, paired with regional wines and select spritzes.
- Visit and wine tasting at Laguna nel Bicchiere, a tiny vineyard tucked behind the walls of San Michele, Venice’s historic island cemetery.
- Dinner at Bepi Antico da Loris. Family-run for over half a century, locals love this restaurant for its dedication to allowing the season and catch of the day to dictate the menu.
From farm to table
- Breakfast at Pasticceria Bar Martini before taking a coach to Chioggia
- Step off on the mainland to enjoy a visit to an organic farm preserving local agricultural traditions through regenerative farming, where we’ll see how the classic winter vegetable raddicchio tardivo is cultivated and highlighted in Veneto cuisine.
- Batello to Castello, Venice’s greenest neighborhood and home to its historic Arsenal shipyard.
- Enjoy a guided wine tasting dinner at Pietra Rossa, where Giorgia will take us on a journey through the region’s wine character with a focus on wines produced with minimal intervention in the vineyard and cellar.
Authentic Venice
- Breakfast at Pasticceria Bar Martini
- Learn the centuries-old technique that has allowed Venetians to navigate the lagoon’s canals and open waters for generations with a traditional voga alla veneta lesson.
- Lunch at Anice Stellato, where Chef Ugo Alciati draws on both his Piedmontese roots and the bounty of the Venetian lagoon, creating elegant, ingredient-driven dishes that balance tradition with innovation.
- Short amble through the Jewish Ghetto quarter
- Free afternoon and evening in Venice to explore the lagoon at your own pace. Dinner suggestions and reservations can be provided.
Exploring the lagoon ecosystem
- Breakfast at Pasticceria Bar Martini before taking the vaporetto to Burano
- Venture beyond Burano, where salt marshes, tidal flats, and winding channels reveal the extraordinary ecosystem that has sustained fishing communities for centuries.
- Enjoy lunch at Gatto Nero, Burano’s beloved family-run trattoria, known for its fresh lagoon seafood and homemade pasta.
- Return to Venice and rest before dinner.
- Dinner at TOCIA! Cucina e Comunità, one of the city’s most innovative culinary collectives, for a meal that explores Venice’s ecosystem and asks us to think about where our food really comes from.
Quiet side of Venice
- Breakfast at Pasticceria Bar Martini
- Vaporetto to Giudecca to explore a quieter side to Venetian life, including a visit to the island’s botanical garden and a glimpse of Palladio’s iconic Redentore church.
- Lunch at La Palanca, a neighborhood favorite overlooking the water. Here, seasonal ingredients from the lagoon and surrounding islands take center stage, offering an unpretentious meal that captures the rhythms and flavors of everyday Venetian cooking.
- Free afternoon to explore Venice
- Vaporetto to Murano for an unforgettable aperitivo at the Nason Moretti Glass Factory, which pays homage to the fresh lagoon eel that was a typical meal for the island’s glassmakers. Sip drinks and learn about Murano’s glassmaking legacy while Katie explains the tradition of eel roasting carried out by these artisans.
- Final dinner at Acquastanca, Murano’s finest restaurant and Katie’s favorite table anywhere in the Venetian lagoon.
Arrivederci, Venice!
- Private transfer to the train station or airport to wherever your journey takes you next
Frequently Asked Questions
The price includes airport transfers to and from Marco Polo Airport or the Venice Santa Lucia train station, accommodation at Hotel Ca’ Sagredo, all meals and tastings except where noted, culinary tours, hands-on workshops, logistical management, and ground transportation to select tours and meals.
The price does not include airfare, additional nights at the hotel, gratuities, personal expenses, visa and passport fees, optional activities, and travel insurance.
Venice is best experienced on foot and by boat, so this itinerary involves a significant amount of both. Participants should expect daily walks through the city’s streets, over numerous bridges, and along uneven cobblestones, as well as regular travel by vaporetto and private boat. There may also be extended periods of standing during guided visits and tastings.
While every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate mobility needs, Venice’s historic layout presents inherent accessibility challenges. We encourage participants to carefully assess their own mobility and fitness before booking to ensure they can comfortably enjoy the experience.
Yes, there is a single-room supplement ranging from $1,300 to $2,100, depending on the room type selected.
Yes, we welcome guests no matter their dietary needs. When booking, you will be asked to share any dietary restrictions and allergies and a reasonable effort will be made to address them. These needs will be kept in mind when organizing evening meals and lunches. During group tastings, an effort will be made to include ample samples to meet the needs of every group member. For any hands-on activities, if there is no way to adapt to the particular restriction, we will be in touch to discuss the situation. We cannot guarantee that every aspect of the trip will be able to accommodate restrictions.
If Parla Tours must cancel the trip due to low enrollment, extraordinary circumstances of force marjuere, or for safety or operational reasons, you will be entitled to a replacement tour of comparable value or a full refund. Note that this refund does not include airfare, visa and passport costs, or additional hotel nights.
All cancellations must be made in writing. Cancellation charges apply as follows:
- More than 90 days before departure: loss of deposit
- 60–89 days before departure: 50% of total tour price
- 30–59 days before departure: 75% of total tour price
- Less than 30 days before departure: 100% of total tour price
Please see our full terms and conditions for further details.
Katie’s Deep Dives feature a strong alcohol component, with wine tastings and other spirits to accompany the experience. The pacing is also rigorous, and therefore we limit these experiences to people 18 years and older.