From Venice I drive 40 kilometers further to the center of Padua, to La folperia of Max and Barbara Schiavo. People here, as in Venice, sell cooked moscardi (baby squid) called folpetti as street food. Folpetti are one of the most famous cibi di strada from the lagoon tradition. Once considered cheap food, today folpetti in the square: Piazza dei frutti of Padua have become a trendy phenomenon. La folperia, meanwhile, is a real reference in the historic center of the city. It is not a restaurant, but a simple kiosk selling local fish specialties in cardboard trays. You can easily recognize it because it is right under the Palazzo della Ragione, in the so-called Canton delle Busie or corner of lies, a picturesque name that recalls the ancient negotiations between merchants, which took place right there. It is a small stall with a bright red awning and a white inscription: La Folperia.
Lagoon of Padua
Max explains that folpetti are sold mainly in Venice and Padua. When I ask how it is that the baby squids are also a tradition in Padua, he explains that the lagoon of Venice used to reach untill here. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the city’s canals were drained. “The water really used to come up to this square,” says max.