The best way to end a month as rich in events as is September in Venice is the Venice Cocktail Week, due September 26 to October 2. Venice is one of the earliest cosmopolitan cities there ever were, in the actual sense we mean today: lavish Venetian dining tables have always welcomed Oriental spices, the scents coming from past Constantinople, wine from Cyprus, spirits from across the Alps. The city is a metaphorical cocktail that blends different cultures into unique traditions, and is still today a hub for arts and languages that can come together in an urban fabric marked by liquid borders.

The 2022 Venice Cocktail Week will take place across 32 venues – cocktail bars and hotel bars – that will add to their beverage menus a signature cocktail created specifically for VCW22: it may be a lunch aperitif, a Leon d’Oro drink inspired by cinema, or one entirely made with Italy-originated ingredients.

In the afternoon, the event’s programme includes masterclasses with national and international experts, meetings, and presentations of books and tools tied to the world of drink. It is also a great chance to get to know a fascinating world, almost legendary, made of iconic places and bartender who know a thousand stories that they got to know while on duty… and will dispense in an understandably sugar-coated version, given the discretion that has always been part of the job. And then there’s the world of Venetian hospitality, with hotels that open their doors to an ever-changing list of guests. Sociality is aptly distributed, much like the ingredients in the cocktails that will take us on a journey around town, from the historical coffee houses to modern cocktail bars, then the typical Venetian inns bácari, a tour of the Giardini Reali, a boat tour, and a visit to the Rialto Farmers Market. Paola Mencarelli, the founder of the Venetian Cocktail Week, commented: “Last edition, in December, has been so exciting! We loved how much the city supported us and how fully it participated – it surprised us. This year, we chose earlier dates to involve the city even more, and give a different touch to the event. In this season, you can still enjoy terraces and open spaces.”