Benvenuti a Venezia! Welcome to Venice!
Carnival is an ancient recurrence, which began as a peasant festival that celebrated the end of winter and the approach of spring. As in any feast, the tables were enlivened by traditional sweets and the story continues!
Every year Carnival brings us a delicious and crunchy dessert called ‘ chiacchiere’
Our destination is one of the most characteristic areas of the city: the Cannaregio district.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
Leaving the Santa Lucia train station, the sumptuous Chiesa degli Scalzi awaits us, we cross Campo San Geremia, towards the Ponte delle Guglie and Tre Archi which flanks the wide Cannaregio Canal, where the Contarini Venier Palace stands out.
We pass by Rio San Girolamo and Fondamenta Ormesini to reach the synagogues of the Ghetto Nuovo, which from the 16th to the 18th century was the residence of the Jews, a place full of history and memories.
The next stop is the Church of the Madonna dell’Orto. with its fifteenth-century bell tower with a characteristic dome. There we discover an Arabian fountain and the famous bas-relief of the camel guided by his camel driver with a turban. .
We pass by Fondamenta dell’Abbazia, the New School of S. Maria della Misericordia and the Campo dei Gesuiti from the church rich in marble and frescoes. We continue to the Fondamenta Nuove, between the characteristic passages called ‘calli’ Fumo, Widman and Varisco, the narrowest in Venice, only 53 cm wide…
At this point, a real jewel awaits you: the Ca ‘d’Oro, a triumph of marble tracery once adorned with gold decorations. Our journey is about to end, but before returning to the station, Venice wants to give us an unforgettable postcard: in fact, once we arrive at the Church of San Marcuola, where a wonderful view of the Grand Canal is waiting for you
Chiacchiere are the sweet symbol of Carnival, They change the name according to the region of Italy in which they are eaten, but the recipe is very similar everywhere. Lies, rags, frappe, galani, cròstoli …
But why it is called ‘ chiacchiera’? (chatter)
It is said, it seems that Queen Margherita of Savoy asked Raffaele, the court cook, to prepare something to taste in the company of her friends and Raffaele prepared those sweets that Her Majesty and her guests ate while chatting .
Where to find the best ‘chatter’ in Venice?
Here is the ‘gourmet’ opinion of my dear friend Marisa, a true (and greedy) Venetian born.
“All right, all right…chatter, ciacole, Marisa specifies, call them what you want, for us Venetians they are nicknamed ‘galani’ and watch out for those who sell them priced by the piece …They must be paid by weight given the irregularity of the sizes”
Tonolo, tra San Rocco e San Pantalon,
Italo Didovich in campo Santa Marina
Panificio Crosera in campiello del Pestrin,
Nobile in strada Nova
Dal Mas a Cannaregio
LA RICETTA DEI ‘GALANI’ VENEZIANI- THE ‘GALANI’ RECIPE
Ingredients:
50 gr. of sugar,
2 eggs,
250 gr. made with flour,
oil or lard for frying,
powdered sugar for sprinkling.
Method:
Mix the sugar and flour, create the typical hillock with a hole in the center and put the butter and eggs inside.
Mix everything well, mixing the ingredients together and in the meantime roll out a very thin sheet.
Cut out rectangles measuring approximately 5cm x 10cm, thanks to the use of kitchen knives that have the typical toothed wheel.
Create one or more cuts in the center, following the direction of the length, taking care not to cut the edges, and then fry everything in oil or lard, as you wish.
The color of the galani must remain very clear and must not be made golden.
After preparing them, place them on the kitchen paper to drain.
Once dry, serve them with plenty of powdered sugar on top, well sprinkled.
Wishing to all fo you a happy and cheerful Carvenale!
