Scottish author Zoe Venditozzi just praised Dundee in a new interview

Zoe Venditozzi, author and campaigner with Witches of Scotland, has singled out Dundee as one of the standout places in her life in a feature for The Herald where she shared her personal ‘Best Bits of Scotland’.

In the piece, Venditozzi highlighted the V&A Dundee as her favourite building, calling it a symbol of the city’s modern ambition.

“I used to feel that Dundee didn’t have much in the way of modern ambition but this is a symbol of that change and that we can have imagination,” she said. She often visits the museum with her pupils as part of her teaching work.

She also praised the Riverside stretch between Dundee’s two bridges as her best street, admiring its mix of natural beauty and historical significance.

The Tay Rail Bridge, in particular, holds a family connection: her gran, she recalled, used to play under it as a child.

Venditozzi’s best walk is in Dundee too – around The Howff, the historic city centre graveyard. Known for her interest in darker historical stories, she mentioned the burial ground’s ties to Grissel Jaffray, a woman accused of witchcraft in the 17th century. “It works for my slightly dark nature,” she said, noting how she used to visit the site with her gran as a child.

Dundee was also the setting for her best childhood memory – spending time with her grandmother in Downfield. She fondly recalled going to the chipper and ice cream van, and how her grandparents’ house was her “happy place”.

Venditozzi’s selections reflect a deeply personal connection to Dundee, rooted in family, history, and the city’s ongoing transformation.

The full interview appeared in The Herald as part of its ‘Best Bits of Scotland’ series.