Last Updated on 28 January 2025 by Cycloscope
Bicycle Touring the Venice Lagoon
Cycling Northern Italy
Our first 5 days of bicycle touring, from Bologna to Caorle, across the Po River delta, the city of Chioggia, the infamous Romea, and the amazing Venice Lagoon.
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Let’s go!
Bologna – Portorotta
At 11:30 am, the last but not least package arrives: the Président’s leather saddle, fully restored (thanks, Simone!). We arrange the bags and, after asking ourselves at least a dozen times, “Did we forget anything?” and another twenty, “Do we have everything?” we finally leave.
A final goodbye to our mechanic, and off we go—better late than never. We cycle out of Bologna, taking some countryside roads through the villages of the province (Maddalena di Cazzano, San Giovanni in Triario, San Martino dei Manzoli). It still feels like a Sunday trip.
We arrive in Portorotta, and find dinner already on the table, kindly prepared by Silvia and Alessandro, along with a cold beer. As it’s our first day, we take it very calmly, especially since we won’t be sleeping in a bed for a while.
Portorotta – Bosco Mesola
With Alessandro’s help, we install the Magnic Light on the Koga and head out. On our way to the Po Delta, we try to avoid busy roads that offer little more than an endless parade of honking trucks.
We arrive in Ostellato, and after enjoying a piadina and a beer (allowing ourselves some culinary luxury while we can), we take a ride to the “Vallette di Ostellato.” The weather is beautiful, and there’s almost nobody around—just a few elderly fishermen and two shepherds with a flock of sheep.
From Ostellato, we take a cycling path into the unknown. We reach Migliarino and realize it’s the wrong road. We decide to make the best of it by doing some shopping. That was a mistake, especially when we paid 12 euros per kilo for bread.
The lesson of the day: always ask the price of things, even the ones you think are a given.
We get back on the right path. The area is full of abandoned houses, so there shouldn’t be any problem finding a place to sleep. The weather isn’t the best—it looks like it could rain at any moment.
We find a spot that seems perfect, but a “neighbor” comes out and tells us that the landlord would “tear us to pieces” if he found us there. Confusion ensues.
Especially after he suggests we pitch the tent on the other side of the road, in the middle of a plowed field, where some tractors are working!
Okay, free camping solution No. 1: discarded!
We continue cycling, and just a few meters from Bosco Mesola, another abandoned house appears. 3, 2, 1—victory! It’s 8 pm, and the rain is coming. It’s chilly, so we set up the tent behind the house, out of sight, more or less.
However, it’s getting dark quickly. We eat bread and cheese and settle in to sleep. Despite the cold, it’s warm in the tent.
Bosco Mesola – Isola Pellestrina
After dismantling our new portable house, we set off again at 10 in the morning. Strangely, we don’t miss the coffee—but we’ll talk about that in a few weeks.
Daniele is experiencing knee pain. Checking the medications the doctor prescribed, we realize that he only gave us painkillers for injection! But who even does an injection for pain?
We stop at the pharmacy in Bosco Mesola and pick up some regular powder painkillers. Back on the road, this time there are no alternatives—we have to face State Road 309, the dreaded Romea.
After about twenty kilometers, on the verge of collapse, we finally exit and stop in Porto Viro. We’re in Veneto. In the square, there’s an information office—of course, it’s closed.
We’d like to find out if there’s a way to cross the Po Delta and get to Chioggia. The men from the Pro Loco have a map of the Delta—better than nothing.
While eating the usual bread and cheese on a bench in the church square, we decide to cross the Delta. It’s a bit of a detour, but at least it’ll be a nice road. And maybe we won’t have other opportunities to see this beautiful landscape.
We were right—the alternative route is definitely worth it. The scenery is beautiful, with water on both the right and left. The water is very calm. We’d love to take a swim.
We arrive at a point where a couple of fishermen are working. One of them tells us that after crossing the Adige, there’s an alternative to the Romea: a road that runs along a canal and leads to Chioggia. Perfect!
This road is also beautiful, and we meet very few cars.
The Venice Lagoon
We cross Chioggia, a small Venice, and take a ferry to the Isle of Pellestrina. It’s very nice and not at all touristy, at least during this time of year. There are neither hotels nor campsites.
The island is a narrow strip of land, a few hundred meters wide and 8 kilometers long. On one side, there’s the sea; on the other, the lagoon, bordered by a very scenic path. There are a couple of hamlets with squares facing the sea.
Just when we were thinking of sleeping on the narrow beach, we found a set of three abandoned houses just down the lane by the lagoon.
We set up the tent inside one of the houses. We got lucky because, that night, there was rain and strong wind. We slept very well.
The Island of Pellestrina – Caorle
We wake up early; the night wind blows away the clouds, and the sky is beautiful. I find that Daniele had taken my eyebrow tweezers. According to him, they were a tool, and indeed, they were with the screwdrivers and Swiss knives.
So, of course, I take the opportunity to shape my eyebrows. After the beautician’s work, we set off again.
We have a coffee (unnecessary) at the port of Santa Maria, then cross by bike through Lido di Venezia. From there, we take another ferry to Punta Sabbioni, the mainland!
Daniele still has knee pain. Maybe I’ll need to learn how to give a puncture, at least the subject of the experiment won’t be me.
We arrive in Duna Verde, near Caorle, and decide to stop at a campsite.
We have a few things to charge and need the internet; plus, a shower wouldn’t hurt either.
The campground is nice, with a huge space, and for 5 euros each, we get electricity, the internet, and a hot shower. It’s deserted, at least until 10 pm, when I step out of the toilet and find myself face-to-face with twenty drunk Alpini, around seventy years old.
They head to the campsite bar and keep drinking, and of course, singing. I only remember the chorus: “I want to kiss her naked” and “You’re good, but now you must fuck off,” or something like that… we have the recordings.
The bar closes, but the situation worsens. We want to sleep. Eventually, at 2:30 am, we started yelling at the old drunk men with pens on their hats! But then we slept.
At least until 7 am, when they woke up more vivacious than ever for the boat ride.
A daybreak in Caorle
Here’s the corrected version:
Morning, relaxing on the beach.
Daniele plays the ukulele, I write. Now we buy some food, and we’ll leave tomorrow!
We buy some food, and we’ll leave tomorrow if the Alpini let us sleep…
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