The Rialto Markets - Venice

Venice's Rialto markets are on the Grand Canal, just north of the Rialto bridge, a bridge with so delightful and famous a view that the marble capping on the balustrade is polished to a high gloss by the elbows of admirers and photographers. People jostle to take in the sweep of the canal, with its palazzo, bustling water taxis, gondola and vaporetti. We have done our share of polishing.

The markets are a destination in themselves. They are seven bridges and fifteen minutes walk from our hotel. The seafood stalls crowd under a high, arched portico, with huge marble columns. The water of the Grand Canal laps up to, and sometimes over, giving a back-drop of bustling water traffic.

This is a beautiful market to walk and gawk. The fish are exquisitely fresh. Indeed, much of it is alive, including slithering eels, snapping mantis shrimp and jumping school prawns. I imagine that the odd lucky catch has wriggled and flipped its way back to freedom via the Grand Canal.

Alongside, fruit and vegetable stalls line the piazza and the waterside. Again, everything is super-fresh and there is a great buzz as people talk food, weather and gossip. There are seasonal delicacies like puntarelle and artichoke, and the juiciest tomatoes on the vine.

The edge of the piazza holds butchers, bakers and delicatessens. One butcher specialises in horse-meat. I see horse fillet, t-bone, meat-balls and salami, with plastic horses scattered for effect among the meat on display. I was raised on Roy Rogers, with his palomino 'Trigger' and his dog 'Bullet'. Both are off my menu. That said, Syl is partial to a bit of horse and Hugh has gnawed happily on some in Dordrecht. I say nay.

After visiting the markets at their saturday morning busiest, I wandered back alone this sunday morning. There was quiet - even the Rialto Bridge was left to me and the pigeons.