Waterworld - Ca Tiepolo to Chioggia to Caorle

​We left Ca Tiepolo in a light rain and a headwind. The rain continued on and off most of the day and the headwind was strong most of the day as well. It also stayed below 50 most of the day.  We only shed our outer layers at the very end of the day entering the outskirts of Chioggia.  We took very few pictures this day not because of lack of scenery but just a bit chilly and wet 

The ride was really a deep dive into the salt marshes and coastal ecosystems of the Po Delta.  The bird life was truly amazing. We saw all kinds of sandpipers, swans, herons, many duck species and lots of flamingos.  




That night after checking into our hotel and having an early dinner we walked over to the historic center of Chioggia and were enthralled by this stunningly beautiful city.  



As you can see it is an important fishing harbor.  


The other amazing thing to us was how beautiful it was and very few tourists were present.  I would tell anyone who wanted to go to Venice to consider this instead if you don’t like crowds.  This was a real town without the Disney world feel of some of the over visited towns.  The town was lively with bars spilling over with fishermen and did I mention no tourists!  Wow.  



The next morning we left very early before our hotel breakfast was being served in order to catch an early ferry. The kind hotel proprietors were concerned and made sure we had a quick espresso and handed us bags of cookies before we left!  So sweet and unexpected!  

The plan for today was to ferry and bike along the barrier islands through the Venice lagoons on our way to Caorle. The first ferry took us onto the first island. 





Looking back at Chioggia.  


Beautiful distant views of Venice and other islands.  



We got off and rode about six miles to another port to catch the ferry to the next island and then about another 7 mile ride to go to Lido. From here a final ferry to Punta Sabbioni where we disembarked for the last 40 miles of riding to head to Caorle.  This last ferry ride brought us closer to Venice for some better views of the city. 


We rode into Caorle and though a very lovely city this one was much more touristy with tons of seaside hotels of which most were still closed for the season and the requisite tourist souvenir shops galore.  We were happy to be here off season to enjoy the charming seaside and historic center without the crowds I would imagine would be here in coming weeks.  




Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 16, 2023 at 8:07 PM

    What a great way to get around greater Venice. Brilliant combination of ferries and island rides. and Chioggia would be a nice counterpoint to the time we enjoyed in Venice - less art and history, but more modern Italian living.

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