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 Gianpaolo Putzu Chef-Partner Canaletto Las Vegas  Gianpaolo Putzu was born in Onifai, a city in the central province of Sardegna. At age fifteen he left home to attend cooking school, following an older brother. The stories of the different techniques his brother had learned sounded interesting to Gianpaolo, so off he went to learn everything in the kitchen from A to Z. "It´s all about the seafood in Italy. Italian cooking is deeply rooted in tradition and is very rustic and simple in style. This Inverno Tre Venezie menu has a nice balance of ingredients. From seafood to beef to pasta and risotto, there's a little something here for everyone." “What is so special about the food of these regions is how they cook by the calendar,” Gianpaolo explains. “Whatever the season brings is what you cook. In October you pick olives, in December you make pancetta and prosciutto, from November until June pecorino and ricotta cheese is made from sheep’s milk. Twice each year, at Christmas and Easter, lamb and pigs are prepared to sell for the festivities throughout these regions. All these ingredients played a part in these dishes. Even now, this tradition remains, and simple freshness defines our food, all of which is made from scratch.” Now, Gianpaolo is the Chef-Partner of Canaletto in Las Vegas, which offers a Veneto-inspired selection of fresh seafood, cured meats, rotisserie, grill, risotto and housemade pasta each day. Maurizio Mazzon was born in Marcon, Veneto. He knew he would be a chef from the age of eight when he would cook shellfish caught with his brother off Punta Sabbioni near Venice. Mazzon comes from a family of bakers and went on to realize his dream by spending 10 years working his way up through the various kitchens of Venice’s great restaurants and hotels.Mazzon was the culinary leader in the 1999 opening of Canaletto Ristorante Veneto at The Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This authentic Venetian restaurant was Maurizio’s realization of a lifelong dream: create a world-class dining destination here in the U.S. that would honor the kitchens where he honed his craft. Mazzon’s menu presents traditional foods of the “Tre Venezie” area of northeastern Italy, complemented by the wines of this less heralded part of the country. Situated at the heart of The Venetian’s re-creation of St. Mark’s Square, Canaletto quickly became one of the busiest Italian restaurants in the world. The second Canaletto Ristorante Veneto, located at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California, opened November 2008 with Maurizio at the helm. His original vision, to offer the most complete Veneto dining experience in the country, was achieved. 
The term “Tre Venezie” (literally “Triple Veneto”) refers to the three northeastern regions of Italy: Veneto (called
Venezia Euganea before 1947), Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (once also called Venezia Tridentina) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Italian is spoken throughout but is often used only with strangers or in the cities, because most inhabitants speak their own local dialect to one another. The Venetian dialect is widely spoken in Veneto and on the coast to Trieste and Istria, as well as in the towns of Pordenone and Gorizia in Friuli and in most parts of Trentino. Friulano is the dominant language of Friuli and is officially recognized by the Italian state. German is the primary language of the Alto-Adige/Südtirol area, where Italian is spoken by less than a third of the inhabitants. Ladin is spoken by a few thousand people in the Dolomites and Sloveneis is what you'll hear spoken on the Slovenian border. “Venetia et Histria” was another name for the area at the time of the Roman Empire, comprised of Veneto, Trentino, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, East Lombardy and Istria. It was named after the people of Veneti, who are still largely the main  ethnic group of the Italian part. This civilization became the seat of the Venetian
empire, which became fabulously wealthy first trading salt, and then exotic spices,
with trading partners throughout Europe. As gatekeepers of this trade route and
these unique commodities, the entire area enjoyed massive increases in living
standards and cultural, viticultural and culinary development. The Tre Venezia area has over the centuries developed a diverse yet distinct culinary character. It's as refined a cooking style as you'll find anywhere in Italy, but hearty too. And strange spices, along with decidedly “un-Italian” flourishes, can be found in many dishes. It's a wonderful if less well-known part of Italy full of surprises. Each season we present a different seasonal menu inspired by the culinary traditions found in this magical part of the world. |
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