Learning how to cook authentic Italian dishes is something that many aspire to, and what better place for it than Venice. The city is known for its seafood and cicchetti, snacks and finger food served in bacaro or wine bars. One cookery course that gets universally positive reviews on TripAdvisor as the best cooking school in Venice is Enrica Rocca Cooking School. Enrica was born in Venice and knows the city’s foodie spots very well. Her classes start with a visit to the Rialto Food Market, and that’s where we met up with her and the rest of the group.
Our friendly classmates were from South Carolina and Massachusetts and keen cooks. Enrica herself is an engaging person who also arranges private dinners in Venetian palaces for luxury brands in addition to running her cookery courses. She has also written a book featuring recipes from Venice and photographed on beautiful Murano glass plates. She explained to us that there are less people now living in Venice and therefore the market’s stall holders find it harder to make a living. Some are now selling dried herbs in sachets rather than the fresh version as many of their clientele are not Venetians. Thankfully, there are still plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Just look at the colours of these beauties! Enrica showed us how to choose the freshest fish by lifting up the gills to check that they are red. She also advised that when visiting a market, you should go not with a specific ingredient list ...