VENICE WITH ED OF MAGPIE AND ADAN OF ROAMN TOURS-OCTOBER 2019
Post by Ed of Magpie- Updated 8-8
Adan and I are putting the finishing touches on our trip to Venice and the Veneto and Back to Venice. We still have room for a few more. Join us! Enjoy the pictures, Come in to Magpie and talk Venice and join us.
A Most Serene Republic
The Essence of Venice
Venetian cuisine and art is as diverse and rich as its history, reflecting waves of conquest, religions and cultures that have shaped it. Follow Ed Roehr and Adan Romo on this culinary and artistic journey, learning from residents and ROAMN-selected guides how these dishes and artworks evolved and the cultural significance surrounding them. Along the way, visit local bars, markets and food vendors. Explore the history of Venetian art and architecture. Soak up the atmosphere of the storied city of Venice away from tourists and meet the people who make it unique.
With intimate dinners, fine accommodations and expert guidance, taste the best Venice has to offer. Bring your appetite.
I am really excited to bring this small group to some places that really showcase the best of Venice.
Local eateries and food culture will be mixed with Adan’s picks of amazing places that showcase art in the region.
We will visit some places that are important to Venetians.
And places in the wine country too
Lucio Gomiero came of Vignalta came to visit us at Magpie on June 10th. We look forward to bringing our group to visit him.
Adan Romo mentioned the idea of taking a group to Venice a few years back, and he thought that it might be a good thing for me to be a part. Adan is an artist and art history teacher and had studied for years in Italy before rejoining his father in their public works studio here in Sacramento, Romo Studios. Adan also runs a tour company (Roamn) focused on art and Italy. Still, I was a bit skeptical of the need for me to be involved. Venice has plenty of tourists (during the tourist season) and plenty of problems. I wasn’t really sure Venice needed any more of us. A visit back to Venice in 2016 had me change my mind.
I worked in a kitchen in Venice for the better part of a year. I was in my 20s (back in the lira days). Sometimes when I tell people that I worked in Italy they ask me what I learned. In Italy it always seems like eating is a cultural pillar, like church and language. Ingredients, yes, recipes, yes,… but also the way of eating and drinking, and the amount of time given to these activities.
I feel like I learned just as much about Italian food at my local cafe as I did at work. Food never seems about being entertaining in Italy. It is always a bit more about being. It is not that the food is not important. It is. It is also about being around others and doing it the way people do it together. Coffee, spritz, tramezzini, wine, breakfast, dinner- all of these things seem to have their rules. And the rules make sense. Sometimes I tell people that Magpie is kind of an Italian restaurant and they never know what I mean. Maybe Magpie is a place with Italian sensibility and American Food? Is that a definition of California Cuisine?
***
Venice is centered in a lagoon. It’s cuisine certainly reflects this. Not all Venetian food is seafood, but it often is.
At some point in May we are going to do a Venetian Monday night dinner at Magpie.
Visitors to Venice can support the things that sustain Venice.
