– Italian tapas, for lack of a better word – are all the rage in backstreet (wine bars) in Venice, and rustic Polpo serves a lovely selection. More substantial are the half-dozen types of flavourful meatballs, the mini pizzas and the small plates of fish, pork or steak. As coincidental as it may seem, the Venetian painter Canaletto lived at this very address for two years from 1749.