How Venezia and a Local Kiosk-Bar Are Turning Kits into Free Spritz

When a kit purchase from the official Venezia store just moments from the Rialto Bridge led to free Cynar spritz vouchers, we made it our priority to redeem them and try this lesser-known aperitivo for the first time.

If you’ve watched Venezia play this season (and if you haven’t there’s still time to catch them live and free on DCTV), Cynar will ring a bell. A nod to the city’s deep‑rooted aperitivo culture, Venezia’s sponsor is an artichoke‑based bitter liqueur that gives the spritz a slightly earthier, more Venetian edge than the sweeter variety. It may not be as pretty, but when you’re in a place as beautiful as Venice, you can afford a little less finesse now and then.

Whilst picking up our match tickets from the smaller sister store in Campo SS Apostoli, we asked where the best place would be to grab our freebie. Without hesitation, the manager nodded towards a small kiosk just a few paces from the ticket office. “You’ll get a great spritz over there,” she assured us.

A tiny kiosk‑bar, Tirovino is just about big enough to accommodate a bartender and a hefty selection of bottles. There’s no seating, but if you promise to return the glass, they’re more than happy for you to wander down to the canal to sit on the steps and watch the gondolas pass by.

This is Venice in its everyday, unpretentious form: quick chats with locals, a decent drink in hand, and the freedom to soak up canal views until you’re ready to roll on to your next stop.

Paolo, our Venetian-born bartender, took care of us all evening, his eyes lighting up when we asked him to explain the history of the spritz – an education well worthy of your time in the reel below.

Paolo had strong thoughts of the most famous of the spritzes. “Now the Aperol one comes from another town, 40km from here in Padova. It’s a very chemical drink. They have a lot of colourants inside. The quality of the drink is much, much lower than the original one from Venice. They are famous,” he shrugs. “But Select is the original Venetian one.”

Over the course of a couple of hours, Tirovino had a steady stream of locals and tourists looking to grab a drink without the pomp and fuss of some of the more refined bars in central Venice.

In a city that can sometimes feel dominated by crowds and price tags, this little chioschetto offers something genuine: a true Venetian spritz made by true Venetian locals. What more could you ask for?