Pasticceria Dal Mas

Pasticceria Dal Mas has been part of Venetian life since 1906, and for more than sixty years it has been run by the Balestra family. It sits on Rio Terà Lista di Spagna, the street that leads from Santa Lucia station into Cannaregio, which makes it one of the first proper Venetian pastry shops many visitors pass, and one of the best places for a breakfast stop on arrival or before catching a train.

The business is both a pasticceria and a chocolatier, and its shelves give a good overview of traditional Venetian sweets. Look out for bussolà, the ring-shaped butter biscuits associated with the lagoon, and baci in gondola, as well as Pulcinella biscuits, fregolotta, a crumbly almond cake, and focaccia veneziana, the sweet, buttery leavened cake that is a Venetian speciality around the holidays. The shop also makes its own cake, the Venexiana, and sells savoury panettone, jellies and sugared almonds, along with cakes made to order.

For a classic Italian breakfast, stand at the counter with a cappuccino and a fresh pastry from the display. The chocolate counter is a good source of gifts, and boxed biscuits travel well if you want to take something home. Opening times are not listed on the shop's website, so if you are planning around an early train it is worth calling ahead.

Lista di Spagna is one of the busiest streets in Venice, as almost everyone arriving by train walks along it, so the shop can get crowded at peak times. Early morning is the calmest moment, and a quick stop at the counter rarely takes long. Prices are those of a neighbourhood pastry shop rather than a tourist café.

Dal Mas suits everyone, from commuters to families and travellers with luggage heading to or from the station. Allow 15 to 30 minutes for a coffee and pastry, longer if you are choosing gifts. Seasonal sweets appear during Carnival and the Christmas period, when Venetian bakeries are at their most inventive.

The shop is a few minutes' walk from Santa Lucia station and the Ferrovia vaporetto stop. Continue along the street to reach the Ponte delle Guglie and the Cannaregio canal, or turn north to the Jewish Ghetto, which is about ten minutes away on foot.