Keeping cool

Folks in the know don't recommend Venice in the summer months - it gets too hot. It's a muggy, damp hot. This morning there was so much moisture in the air that the windows of our air-conditioned flat fogged up. And even at six in the morning, when I opened the casement to take this photo of steam rising off the canal, it was already hot.

Venetians know how to keep cool. They've been doing it for a thousand years. One of the most popular drinks served here is a spritz - a mixture of white wine, sparkling soda, and a bittersweet digestif. Most common is bright Fanta-orange Aperol, but you can also get a spritz made with Campari or Cynar - which makes the drink more rosy.

Elegant spritzes in stemmed glasses

Whether it's sitting out on the broad campo by the Rialto Mercado with the rest of the tourists, overlooking the Grand Canal, or sitting at a working-class bar overlooking a tiny secluded rio, a spritz is the best way to beat the heat of the day. Pick a table shaded from the hot sun, and relax.

Spritzes are served on ice with a wedge of orange to garnish, and often a wooden skewer with a big fat green olive. They can be elegant, in a stemmed glass, or workaday, in a sturdy tumbler.

Something about the bitterness of the digestif keeps spritzes from tasting too sweet or cloying. They take the edge off the heat. A bit of salty snack also helps - even a tiny dish of potato chips or salted peanuts.

A refreshing break from sight-seeing

Cin cin!

Thanks to Une Femme D'un Certain Age for mentioning the spritz in comments!