Did Andrea Palladio drink spritz?

Refreshing and drinkable, the Spritz - or as we call it in Veneto "the spriss" is now considered the King of cocktails in Northern Italy and beyond: with its delicate taste and moderate alcohol content it is suitable at any time, during a meal, after a long day of work and also on festive evenings with friends.

But where does this sparkling aperitif originate from?

There is a story about Venice that drifts across the centuries like a faint aroma of wine and salt air.

The first thread begins in the Arsenale, the beating heart of the Republic, where sparks flew from forges and galleys rose from timber like creatures of the lagoon.In the 1500s, La Serenissima was at the height of its splendor: a state made of water and willpower, ruling islands, shores and trade routes with a confidence that felt almost elemental.

Inside that immense hive of labour, the shipwrights—men hardened by wood, rope and brine—were granted small privileges in recognition of their craft. One of these, almost a secret ritual, consisted of dry biscuits and a glass of wine softened with fresh well water.A simple gesture, but one that carried an unexpected grace:the earliest whisper of what we now call Spritz.

It is easy to imagine Andrea Palladio, pausing in the shade of one of his half-built villas, holding a similar pale, diluted wine. Perhaps letting its coolness sharpen his thoughts, the way a breeze draws a clearer edge on a landscape.

But Venice, as always, holds more than one origin story.

A second tale rises a few centuries later, under Habsburg rule, when Austrian soldiers wandered through Venetian taverns in search of familiar comforts.The local white wines were bold, sun-ripe, stronger than anything they knew.So they asked the innkeepers to spritzen—to spray—a touch of sparkling water into the glass, softening its fire.A small act of adjustment, almost accidental, yet destined to become a ritual of its own.

By the early 1900s the custom had taken deep root.Cafés began to hiss with the sound of Seltz siphons, turning even the stillest wines effervescent.And so the Spritz emerged from this mingling of centuries and cultures:a drink born from workers and soldiers, from wells and taverns, from Venice’s stubborn habit of transforming necessity into pleasure.

A bright, simple alchemy—light in the glass, light in the air—and a reminder that sometimes the most enduring traditions begin as nothing more than a gesture shared in the shade. the drink even more, who appreciate its light and even more drinkable character.

The Spritz is only one of the many reflections of the historical, cultural and artistic heritage that lives and breathes within our Palladian Lands of Beauty.If you wish to truly step inside, here below you’ll find the passage that continues your exploration

in the Palladian Lands of Beauty

Discover Palladian Routes  

Article updated in 2026