Venice: the grocery boat (called la Barca)
I have written two posts on going shopping in Italy (one and two), but neither described this Venetian version of grocery shopping, which I encountered earlier this week for the first time.
Update: Thanks to the comment from Laura of Tiramisu', a native Venetian, I was able to add the name of the grocery boat to the photo caption. Barca in Italian means boat.
This is my submission to week #15 edition of Black and White Wednesday – A Culinary Photography Event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. Savoring the weekly gallery is highly recommended: it's a very special mid-week treat.
The photo was shot in color and then converted to black and white.
This post contains the gallery of the event.
Sei tornata in Italia Simona?
Mica è da tutti avere il fruttivendolo in barca ;-)) Simoooo sei andata a Rialto?
Simona, la “Barca” e’ chiamata, ed e’ vicinissima a dove sono cresciuta, vicino a Santa Margherita. Non sai quanta emozione mi viene ogni volta che vedo immagini della Barca. Fare la spesa a Venezia e’ un’avventura di sicuro!
OMG! How fun to go grocery shopping in Venezia! I love your shot! Happy B&W Wednesday!
I know exactly where this barca is… just on the corner of Campo San Barnaba. I passed there everyday on my way to Italian lessons in Campo Santa Margherita. Also, some of my favorite gondolieri happen to be stationed there occasionally 😉
Are you in Venezia?! I hope you enjoy your Italian break!
I went and read both your shopping in Italy posts. We’ve been having big, ‘modern’ supermarkets in India only in the last 15 years or so and only in the last few years have some introduced a bag-it-yourself system. We take it to the scales where there’s an assistant to weigh it and label it with the weight and price details. We don’t have the coin system for the shopping carts, though! I still think the best place to buy vegetables is the outdoor, neighbourhood grocers, the quality is good, but we increasingly patronise the big stores because we find everything in one place and the prices are often lower. They are smothered in plastic and cling wrap and not very good, to begin with.
Perfect photo in black and white-would love to go grocery shopping on “la barca”.
Ciao Baol! Sono in Italia per una breve visita.
Ciao Marta, certo che ci sono andata 🙂 Niente mercato del pesce pero’ 🙁 Comunque ho fatto un po’ di giri interessanti e anche un po’ di foto. Vedrai…
Ciao Laura e grazie dell’informazione che ho subito usato per aggiornare il post. Avrei dovuto cercare sulla cartina il punto dove ero quando ho visto la Barca. Sono stata anche a Campo Santa Margherita, che e’ un posto che adoro e ho anche ritrovato il bar dove alcuni anni fa io e Robert abbiamo passato un po’ di tempo a goderci la primavera a Venezia. Appena posso scrivero’ qualcosa di piu’ della mia visita lampo.
Ciao Paz. It was fun to visit the market in Rialto and then stumble upon the Barca.
Hi Maya. I am glad my photo awakened sweet memories of your time in Venice. I have a set of photos about gondole and hope to write a post for them soon.
Ciao Caffettiera. I spent there one day, then took the train to Perugia. I landed at the airport then took the battello towards sunset: it was truly magical.
Hi Sra. Having everything in one place is the main selling point of big stores. However, they miss the human dimension of shopping for food. And I also don’t like the shrink-wrapped items. I hope stores in India will move away from that in time.
Thanks, Lynne. I am glad you like the photo.
The photo is fantastic and shows beautifully the romatic Venetian atmosphere! I’d love to experience this kind of shopping at least once during my life 🙂
Excellent capture of what we take for granted that arrives via plane, train, and truck.
My mom tells me there was a time in U.S. history when the dairy, bakery, and produce vendors used to pull up to the curbs every few days or so. Things have changed so. It’s very heartwarming to see that Venice has (and must) keep to its heritage. Thank you for the fine BWW shot, Simona
Ciao Catalina. Maybe you’ll visit Venice the next time you are in Italy. I am planning to write a couple more posts on my recent visit, which should give you additional ideas.
Ciao Susan. The way life is organized around the fact that transportation is along waterways is one of the things I love about Venice. Ambulances, garbage collectors, taxis, etc., are all boats. I landed at Venice airport and so this time even my airport transfer was a boat. Both the latter and the vaporetto I took to reach the train station the morning I left, went slowly, which I like: you are invited to forget about being in a hurry and enjoy the sight around you. The other nice thing is that Venice is a pedestrian’s paradise. As I mentioned above, I will write a few more notes on my visit in upcoming posts.