Alessandro Tortato, a music professor, orchestra conductor, and acute historian, tempers and tunes his culinary passion in his spare time. To the delight of us readers. In Restaurants of Venice, he shelved baton and volumes to take on the role of the friend who confidentially guides us through calli and campi. The “maestro,” as Alessandro is called by those who know him, here employed his skills to bring to life an unprecedented book. Restaurants of Venice fills a gap, for an accurate mapping of Venetian restaurants has not existed until now. And Tortato has finally drawn it, in his own way, marrying curiosity, history and flavors in a jargon-free, accessible and appealing style. We needed a guide like this, and only Alessandro could write it. You will not find the expert’s narcissistic flaunting or insiders’ terminology. It is a book for everyone, written with a smile, conceived for the tourist who comes from afar but also for those who simply want to learn more about the art of eating out in Venice. These pages are not just a guide to restaurants but an unprecedented journey through the world’s most explored city. It is a sentimental journey that will enable you to experience Venice with new eyes. Each restaurant hides a story, with its own peculiarities. There is nothing serial, nothing already known. No platitudes and clichés. Everything is unique: you will happen to taste cod in Tintoretto’s studio or enjoy a plate of carpaccio next to Woody Allen. Tortato has devised a guidebook that is as light as one of Mozart’s arias. Places, chefs, dishes and ingredients are described through a seductive narrative inviting us to discover the true flavors of Venice. Alessandro Zangrando