Pasticceria Rizzardini
Marzipan Cake
Almond Cake
Golosesso Chocolate Walnut Cookie
Bufala Milk Ricotta Raisin Cake
Custard Cornetto
Apple Strudel
Located on the very edge of the city’s commercial district, a route along the walking path from mainland to St. Mark’s Square undoubtedly a part of its appeal, Pasticceria Rizzardini was born in 1742 and stated to be Venice’s very first pastry shop the tiny space still continues to thrill locals as well as tourists to this day with an every-changing selection as the day progresses.
Open at 7h00 each day, peak times of 8h00 on weekdays and slightly later on weekends almost always sporting a queue, a first look at the Rizzardini gives patrons only a small glimpse of the treasures inside the doorframe, early arrivals likely to see Strudels and laminated Pastries still warm, though apparently Bombolini do not come out until later along with items such as Tiramisu and a limited number of savory options such as Quiche and Panini.
A cash-only business with good English skills, though tight quarters and a predilection for serving regulars first can prove challenging to those browsing while attempting to formulate a plan, goods from Pasticceria Rizzardini are best selected for grab-and-go consumption considering the limited room for standing, a total of six items tallying 18.50€ bagged carefully with cardboard and paper wrapping only to be deconstructed one minute later, first bites of the warm Ricotta Cake quickly seeing it disappear with raisins the only necessary source of sweetness amidst a base both dense and creamy.
With half the items still holding residual heat from the oven it was onward to a Croissant topped and piped with Custard that the tasting would soon progress, both this choice and the Apple Strudel well-made if not particularly memorable considering the quality of other items, a Dark Chocolate Biscuit titled Golosesso something very unlikely to be seen stateside as the flavor profile trended quite bitter, occasional pockets of Semi-sweet Chocolate Chunks few and far between.
Moving on to two small pies, these amidst the more traditional items that decorate the store’s display, one would be hard pressed to say whether the Marzipan Cake or one filled with nothing but Sugar and ground Almonds was better, the former exceptionally sweet despite being light as a feather while the later reminisced the flavors of Nut Horns made at Christmas made by my Hungarian Grandmother with a hefty filling than is probably best for sharing.