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Summer is the traditional time to travel, and what could be more fun than traveling with your entire family? OK, I heard that! Traveling with kids can be: exhilarating, anxiety-producing, joyous, excruciating, eye-opening, fearful and downright fun! Recently, my family and I spent a marvelous day in Venice. The other one. The one in Italy.

My family had a mission on this trip: to eat and then go to the great square of Piazza San Marco and play. Venice is overwhelmingly rich in museums, churches and history. Just taking the vaporetto, the city waterbus, down the Grand Canal allows one to see the great Gothic palazzi that fill so many postcards.

Getting lost in Venice is a fabulous experience: Every turn exposes new treasures, from beautiful door handles and exquisite glass chandeliers that often hang from the decorative ceilings on the noble (second) floor, to the beautiful and intricately carved water wells that are the focal point of even the smallest square. Venice is magnificent and, if you can, plan to spend at least four days reveling in its beauty.

We only had one day for this trip. Our family navigated the crowded waterbus, realizing we had forgotten it was the time for the Biennale. The biannual art fair is one of the most important contemporary art shows in the world, with installations throughout the city. The controversy surrounding the art makes the discussion about Sarasota’s waterfront “Unconditional Surrender” seem tame. People come from all over the world and the city is excruciatingly crowded.

Finally, we arrived at Fiaschetteria Toscana, one of our favorite restaurants in all of Italy. They are known for their fritto misto (assorted fried seafood) as well as the proprietor Mariuccia’s incredible desserts. We were seated outside in their courtyard and were treated as if we were the most important people in the world. Italy is a country that LOVES kids. Even though the restaurant would be considered fancy by American standards — polished silver, multiple glasses, starched linen, etc. — well-behaved kids are always welcome. The waiters, servers (there are multiple layers of service) and owner kept coming by to see the children, while we parents were less important than the bellisimi bambini.

In Italy eating is of supreme importance and a cardinal rule is that local food is the best and freshest. Therefore, anything nostrano (”ours”) is more expensive and desirable than anything imported. In Venice, local fish is prized above anything else. At Fiaschetteria Toscana, they only serve fish that was caught that day and in the case of the small, local soft shell crabs — moeche — they are alive until cooked. The waiters, knowing that children get antsy at the table brought a couple live crabs out to keep them entertained.

We later found out that we were seated at the table next to the Queen of Norway and that there was a princess eating inside the restaurant; however, the waiters treated my children royally. One of the items that delighted the kids was fried squash blossoms; we had to order two servings. These flowers are delicate, and when simply, lightly, battered and expertly fried, they are so delectable they are impossible to resist!

Although it is impossible to get moeche in America, it is possible to recreate the flowers and it is a fun experience for the children. Below, I’ve adapted a recipe from my husband Giuliano Hazan’s upcoming book.

After an amazing lunch we headed off to the Piazza San Marco to play. Piazza San Marco is considered by some to be the most beautiful square in all of Italy. A large open area, it is bookended by the Museo Correr, a fabulous museum, and the incomparable Basilica di San Marco, with its four Greek horses pawing the air. To one side is the Torre dell’Orologio, the most important clock in the city, and dominating the square is the campanile (bell tower) from which one can get an incredible view of Venice in its entirety.

Spending the afternoon playing in the piazza is a wonderful experience. People-watching is incomparable. It was fun to see those dressed in haute couture navigate the uneven sidewalks, as well as the myriad of tourists trying to balance their binoculars, guide books and cameras. Waiters at the famous cafés languidly waited on the mostly tourist crowd willing to pay five times the normal cost of a cup of coffee just to snag a table on the square, while dueling pianists and violinists created sonorous music.

Unexpectedly, just as we were getting comfortable sitting on the steps, we heard sirens go off. We realized they were alerting Venetians to the arrival of aqua alta (high water). For those who may not know, Venice is built on a series of islands connected by bridges in a fairly shallow lagoon. Most of the buildings were constructed on closely spaced wooden piles that don’t decay if covered by water. Unfortunately, nearby artesian wells that drew water for the mainland industries depleted the aquifer and started the slow sinking of Venice. Even though those wells are no longer used, there is controversy as to whether or not Venice is still sinking. In the meantime, in early spring and autumn, Venice regularly gets aqua alta that usually reaches at least three feet in height. When aqua alta occurs the residents of Venice move about on raised planks and continue with their lives.

It was interesting to be there when the water was rising. You could hear a gurgling sound, but at first we could only see a little bit of puddling at the drains near the low point in the square. Along with many others, my children took off their shoes and started dancing in the water. Later the water turned into lakes as the waiters at the grand cafés around the square scrambled to move the chairs and tables to higher ground. There was no fear, only fun.

However, with the water rising, we realized that it was time to leave, looking forward to returning to the magical city another time. Of course, my 5-year-old did one pirouette too many and landed on her bottom in the water. Fortunately, Venice has many tourist kiosks and we are now the proud owners of an oversized T-shirt/dress that says we really do AMARE Venice!

Fried Zucchini Blossoms
(Copyright Giuliano Hazan 2009; adapted from an upcoming book by Hazan)

This is a fun dish to make with the kids. They enjoy creating the batter, and cleaning and coating the blossoms.

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 dozen zucchini or squash blossoms
1 cup water
2/3 cup flour
Vegetable oil
Salt

1. Remove the stamens from the blossoms and make sure the petals are open.

2. Put the water in a medium bowl and gradually add the flour while whisking to keep the mixture smooth. When all the flour has been mixed with water, the batter should have the consistency of buttermilk. Adjust by adding more flour or water if necessary.

3. Pour enough oil into an 8″ skillet to come 3/4 inch up the slides, and place over high heat. The oil is hot enough when a drop of the batter in the oil will sizzle and float to the surface. Dip a blossom into the batter to coat it well, lift it out letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl, then gently place the blossom in the hot oil. Repeat with as many blossoms as will fit loosely in the skillet.

4. When a light brown crust forms on the bottom, turn the blossoms over. When the other side is also light brown, lift them out of the pan, gently shaking any excess oil back into the skillet, and transfer them to a cooling rack to drain or to a platter lined with paper towels. Repeat the process with the remaining blossoms. It’s best to replace each blossom in the pan rather than waiting until the pan is empty before frying the next batch, as this will maintain a more constant oil temperature. When all the blossoms are done, sprinkle with salt and serve hot.

Lael Hazan, of the noted Italian culinary Hazan family, currently teaches food history at their cooking school in Verona Italy, has a bi-monthly radio show on WSLR, 96.5FM — Focus on Fabulous Food — and teaches for ACEC. For more information check out her family website.

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