In Venice there is a lot of bar, 'bacari' and 'osterie'. The oldest are at Rialto, all around the fruit and vegetables market. Others are long Garibaldi Street in Castello 'sestiere' and long Strada Nuova

The 'osteria' is the first place where you can meet your friends, those
that venetian people friendly named 'Fioi' (guys), even if an half of
them is grandparent! Usually they take an 'ombretta', a glass of wine
that is drunk with some 'cicheto'.
But...where does 'cicheto' and 'bacaro' words derive from?
Cicheto from 'ciccus' that in latin means 'littlest quantity' and
bacaro derive from a common way to say among wine specialists who say
"it's really a good wine from berries", it's made with good grapes so
it is an high quality wine.
But you can grasp the similarity with the word 'Bacco', god of wine and intoxication.
Who don't know the venetian habits can consider cicheto like a break,
it's usually got before dinner between a white wine glass and a red
one.
Cicheti and bacari are joint together because cicheto is waited on in bacari.
Bacaro is a kind of meeting with friends, it's quite similar to osteria
concept like a meeting point in which you can drink a wine glass "ombra" chatting and eating something among friendly laughs and pats on
shoulders.
During the past these places hadn't a good reputation, in fact today,
when you want to name a place not very tidy and with simple forniture
and layout you name it bacaro. But, on the contrary of the past time,
these bacari are again a meeting point regaining their place in the
venetian way of life, that every turists should test during his
venetian visit. Today, when you talk about bacaro, you mean a bar with
a false neglected look that instead is very researched.
So the oldest shabby osteria considered like an alcoholics' meeting
point, now it's a very frequented place that don't usually  offer only
really good cicheti and wine glasses, but venetian traditional courses
too.
The same cicheti are even more good, they are like a real meal that you
can take on bar with friends or sitting down at a wooden table in a
friendly and comfortable atmosphere.
 

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