Sports Bars in Venice

Okay, so diehard sports fans probably aren’t going to do a victory dance when it comes to sports bars in Venice. Actually, they’re definitely not going to because there simply aren’t many to choose from.

Your best bet is probably to head to The Irish Pub in Cannaregio. Formerly known as Fiddler’s Elbow, The Irish Pub’s new owners have gone out of their way to freshen up the décor and modernize the technology to better serve the same sports-loving clientele the bar has always attracted. Four extra-wide flat-screen TVs now hang high at various points throughout the three quaint rooms and, coupled with the addition of bar-height tables and ledges, offer rowdy football fans better viewing and more space to rest their pints when they throw up their arms and shout “Gooooaaal!”

Chances are good that most bars in and around Venice will carry whatever major European soccer match is on, especially Italian teams of course, but that hardly qualifies as a sports bar in Venice. That said, lots of other bars around the city do have at least one big TV screen in order to show sports, usually with a special subscription to the Sky Italia channels.

Persuading the owner to tune the TV to a channel broadcasting baseball – like NASN on Sky Italia – is another issue, since baseball definitely isn’t a popular sport in Italy. You’ll either have to make do without for bit, or maybe just hang up a poster and pop a keg in your hotel, recreating your own little Venice sports bar.