In the late eighteenth century, after the fall of the Republic of Venice by the hands of Napoleon, the privileges of the Venetian patriciate had come to an end. Balls and banquets in the Villas became less common than they were when the Riviera was at the heart of the Venetian dolce vita. In the 1950s, when tourists everywhere started to increase in number, an interest in rediscovering the Riviera began. Remembering the magnificent banquets once hosted in the villas, local restaurateurs revived the handed-down skill of preparing seafood specialties that had been lost in the declining times. Down-to-earth eateries became trattorias and restaurants, and since May 1960 the regular sailing service of the historic Burchiello was resumed, bringing worldwide fame and notoriety. In the meantime, the economic categories of tourism, led by a group of enlightened entrepreneurs including Adelino Carraro, Remigio dal Corso and Sergio Tuzzato Nalin, began to invest in major awards, gastronomical fairs, high-ranking testimonials and culinary events that brought Riviera cuisine into the national limelight, re-proposing in taste the 18th-century myth of the “Delights of the Brenta”.
Adelino Carraro, a big name among local restaurateur and hotelier, strongly believes that the cuisine of the Riviera del Brenta is based on fish and shellfish, due to its historical ties to the Serenissima Republic of Venice and the typical fish of the lagoon and the Adriatic.
Nowadays , the Brenta Riviera offers over 300 dining options that range from traditional eateries, to gourmet restaurants. Meat lovers will appreciate the ample selection of meats, often served boiled, roasted or grilled, and the classical dishes of inland tradition, which coexist with fish in a gastronomic offering suitable for every taste. The richness of this territory,” – says Pierpaolo Dall’Agnola, President of the Confcommercio of the Brenta Riviera – ”is well represented by a cuisine based not only on great products and historical recipes, but above all on a culture of hospitality rooted among entrepreneurs that consider the customer its most important asset.”
Instead, a very special choice of fish is made by longtime family-owned chef Linda Cacco of the Osteria del Baccalà in Strà. Within the restaurants of the Riviera, the Osteria stands out from all the other thanks to its focus on baccalà, the historical dish of Venetian cuisine made of saltes codfish (stoccafisso), a product first imported in 1432 by Venetian sailor Pietro Querini after an exciting trip to the Norway’s Lofoten Islands. Linda offers several innovative pairings of stockfish with seasonal fruits and vegetables – the best way to sample it is the so-called “baccalà tower” that ranges from the traditional baccalà mantecato, fried baccalà, baccalà alla vicentina oven cooked baccalà with potatoes and Taggiasche olives. Key to the success of the restaurant is its dedication and love for Venetian cuisine, reinterpreted in a modern way to provide guests a unique and exceptional dining experience.
