Review of 'Trattoria alla Rivetta'
We were a bit hesitant about visiting Rivetta as despite it having a great recommendation in our travel guide (the Eyewitness Travel guide to “Venice & the Veneto”) the reviews on Google were, shall we say, quite mixed with various people saying that it was the worst and others saying it was the best. So, with some trepidation we decided to give it a shot anyway.
Located only a stones throw from San Mark's square was a bit of a strike against Rivetta as this suggests it would be a rip-off and serve rubbish, non-traditional food but we were delighted to find that neither of these were true. Located right beside a bridge over a small canal you could be forgiven for missing this unassuming restaurant though the window showing their nibbles and the large lantern hanging above the path does somewhat give the game away.
We were swept into the small, cramped interior to be shown a table in an even smaller adjoining room at the back of the restaurant by an enthusiastic waiter. Despite it being fairly early in the evening (by Italian standards) the restaurant was reasonably full though it did seem to be mainly tourists. The walls are full of the typical tourist kitsch but if you look closer you will spot pictures of their competing boat crew and other indicators that this is a family affair.