Mionetto’s Venice: An Insider’s Guide To La Serenissima

In many of Italy’s winemaking regions, depending on location, the month of September marks the end of grape growing and the beginning of winemaking. This year’s harvest in Valdobbiadene, the hilly region in Italy’s northeast Veneto famed for quality Prosecco, finished recently, where Alessio del Savio, winemaker at the historic Mionetto winery, reports that “despite the extreme heat recorded in Veneto, the fruit is particularly healthy and the quality has exceeded our expectations.”

September is also a perfect time to visit Venice, the dreamy waterside city just 50 miles south of Valdobbiadene: The tourist crowds have largely dissipated, the weather is cooler and the city seems to reclaim its calm beauty. Paolo Bogoni, Mionetto’s chief marketing officer, lives just a few miles from the city and has had a special connection to Venice from his time as a student at Ca’ Foscari University. Though his office is in the mountains, his life is in the city. Here, he offers an insider’s guide to La Serenissima, “The Most Serene.”

The public space most closely linked to Venice, he says, is the campo—called a piazza in other Italian cities or a square elsewhere. Often the site of food markets, vendors, events and gatherings, Bogoni calls it—”one of the liveliest places in the city both during the day and in the evening”—an authentic expression of Venetian social life. Campo Santa Margherita, near the university, is a nostalgic favorite of his.

Venice is closely associated with art—from its permanent collections to the famous Biennale. Bogoni says a trip to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is warranted, not only for its representation of 20th century artists, but its atmosphere of a private home on the Grand Canal. A second recommendation is also uniquely Venetian—the Fortuny Museum, which he says is “testimony to the genius of that great creator of unique fabrics and iconic clothes, of lighting systems and set designs for theaters and museums.”

Off the beaten path, Bogoni calls out sites completely unique to the city. “A real jewel is the Scala Contarini del Bovolo,” 92 feet of a spiral staircase (bovolo means “snail” in Venetian dialect). “This is a true hidden gem, far away from the traditional Venice city tours and offers spectacular views of the city.” He suggests a walk on Calle Varisco, perhaps the narrowest street in Venice, only 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) wide, and a trip to Acqua Alta bookshop, “where you can get lost in its collection of Venetian maps and secrets,” and continuing that bookish theme, he says the Marciana Library in Piazza San Marco, founded in the 15th century, “is a fascinating place [to visit] that preserves the history of Venice.”

No trip is complete without a visit to lo squero, the historic boatyards that have defined this city for centuries. “It is an exciting dive into Venetian history and tradition, and the unique art of building lagoon boats, including the iconic gondola,” Bogoni says. He recommends beginning with San Trovaso, one of the oldest and most famous, where you can watch craftsmen repairing the gondola fregi (ornaments), lacquer the boats or watch the shipwrights building new gondolas.

At the end of the day, nothing compares to sunset over the lagoon. Bogoni likes a walk along the Fondamenta delle Zattere facing the Giudecca Canal. “This is where Venetians love to meet, even in winter, to embrace the warmth of the sun.” And, it is a prime spot to enjoy an aperitif. His favorite? A Mionetto Spritz, of course. And if not there, he likes a seat on the terrace of the Hotel Monaco on the Grand Canal where a glass of Mionetto Cartizze pairs with the view, or in an osteria with a round of typical Venetian cicchetti (“small bites”)—crabmeat crostini, fish balls, sardines in saor, lagoon octopus—and a glass of Mionetto Prosecco.

Of course, the best place to enjoy Prosecco is in the context of where it’s made. From Venice, a day trip to Mionetto’s new visitor’s center and tasting room offers a look into the historic winemaking in Valdobbiadene, named a UNESCO world-heritage site in 2019. Borgo Mionetto, the home of the winery since 1887, offers a full day of tasting and touring in both the historic winery and its new hospitality center, which features a wine shop, tasting bar and cultured gardens reminiscent of Venetian villas. Bogoni says the new center was “designed to use old and new materials including artisanal woodwork, local stones for traditional finishes that further reinforce the winery’s rich history and modern transformation, as we know today.”

It also is a showcase for the winery’s sustainable approach and practices, using underground, new bioclimatic architecture, rainwater harvesting systems, newly installed renewable energy sources and a living “green wall,” developed with “the goal of integrating into the existing landscape,” Bogoni says.

With its cushy seating and sleek decor, the center’s tasting room is a pleasant place to while away the hours with a glass (or two or three) of Prosecco and small bites from the menu. But if you can move off the couches, the winery offers a menu of tastings, from 12 to 50 euros per person, which can include in-depth tours and guided tastings with a member of the wine-making team.

When (if) you do head back to Venice for the evening, Bogoni suggests “immersing yourself in the Venetian bacari, the old taverns where Venetians love to meet during the day and in the evening, after the working day.”

“It’s an authentic Venice experience, hidden from the traditional tours,” he says.

He adds, “The Venice region and surrounding areas offers you a quintessential look and experience into the Italian lifestyle that the world knows. Venice remains a global destination that continues to honor a storied culture with an immense focus on food, wine, art, history and more. As someone who lives in the region, we always welcome those who have the opportunity to visit and personally experience this special place that we at Mionetto are proud to call home for over a century.”