TORREFAZIONE CANNAREGIO; Venice

Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It’s impossibly beautiful canals create an exciting maze of over 100 islands, joined together by over 400 stunning bridges. Every street appears like a film set, and by just wondering around you are guaranteed to stumble upon something truly spectacular.

It’s no surprise that Venice brings in over 30 million tourists every year, and even though I arrived in mid September (which I ignorantly thought would be off-season) tourists coated the streets. Every local I spoke to called it a ‘tourist trap’ or some sort of variation in the description, and it’s a hard truth to ignore. Most restaurants are overpriced without the quality to follow, just trying to bring in as many people as possible. The coffee can be the same; I experienced one too many grainy espressos and over-foamed cappuccinos. I was left slightly lacking in what I thought was going to be a mind blowing Italian quality.

I was, until I walked into Torrefazione Cannaregio.

Torrefazione Cannaregio has a modern rustic vibe; wooden panels and framing over exposed reddish brick, a wall of coffee beans from several countries, and small, intimate, eclectic seating (an old drawing dress as a table, for example). The café sits next to the heart of the Jewish Ghetto, with outdoor seeing right on its busy canal. Venice can at times be an overwhelming city, especially when it comes to knowing where to go, but this place never seemed to be too busy, despite being only a five minute walk from the train station.

The café has been open since 1930, and since then has continued to operate with the same ethos. To produce excellent handcrafted coffee by paying close attention to their raw materials and using toasting methods that have been handed down through generations. It is also the only coffee roasting company with a bar in the center of Venice. And, despite this attention to quality and aesthetic, their coffee is remarkably cheap. One euro for an espresso at the bar, €1.40 to sit.

Their coffee is smooth and acidic, however you can adjust your coffee to your own tastes with their large selection of beans. As I prefer acidic coffee, their barista gave me their Guatemalan blend, which was sensational.

I have not sampled every espresso in Venice (obviously, and if someone did they would be dead) however there is a reason that I came back to this café many times during my trip. It’s modern, hipster vibe gave a refreshing change of pace to the historic location, and the care in every coffee was undeniable.

Fondamenta dei Ormesini, 2804, 30121 Venezia VE

Open 7am- 7:30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm Sun

www.torrefazionecannaregio.it

Instagram: @torrefazionecannaregio