The first week of January was decidedly wet, not dry. Venice was our destination: nearness of jade canal waters and immersion in straw-coloured wines.

The first week of January was decidedly wet, not dry. Venice was our destination: nearness of jade canal waters and immersion in straw-coloured wines. We took our adult children; the near drowning of the city in November had awoken me to the threat that they might never see it. The floods had subsided, the sun shone low through the cold, they adored every moment and, home, I’m relieved.

Venice is easy to adore with the eyes but food lovers can leave the place frustrated. The city’s restaurateurs are not known for always being kind to strangers. Tourists complain of astronomical bills, grumpy waiters and food not quite as good as that being eaten by locals at the next table.

Enough complaining – let’s talk about how to eat authentically well in a city with a unique environment: a lagoon packed with interesting species, island market gardens yielding exquisite pinky-red radicchio Treviso and Castelfranco; small, eat-all-in-one artichokes, cabbage the colour of eels and celery that for once has not been decapitated of its leaves.

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