PELLESTRINA

Description

Essentials about Pellestrina in brief

If you’re looking for a little peace and quiet from the incredible daily hustle and bustle of Venice’s old town, head to Pellestrina. The long island forms the southern end of the Venetian Lagoon in the direction of the Adriatic Sea. There are no sights worth mentioning on Pellestrina. However, the island is all the more popular with cyclists, who cycle the entire route between the Venetian Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea from the mainland via Pellestrina and then on via the two islands of Lido di Venezia and Sant’Erasmo.

The location of Pellestrina

Pellestrina is located between the Lido, from which it was separated by the Malamocco Channel, and the mainland near Chioggia. Despite the length of 11 kilometers, the island is only about two square kilometers, because it is very narrow – at no point is Pellestrina wider than a few 100 meters. The island is protected from the force of the waves by breakwaters made of large stones and a walkable wall (murazzi) made of Istrian marble blocks held together by puzzolan cement. The height of the wall is up to ten meters. It slopes steeply towards the lagoon side.

The attractions of Pellestrina

The poor conditions of the past and the recurrent storm tides did not allow the inhabitants of Pellestrina to leave magnificent buildings, so there are no sights worth mentioning. Even today, many inhabitants live from fishing for fish and shellfish.

In recent years, especially bicycle tourism has increased significantly. A very popular bike path leads across the three islands that separate the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. The path starts in Chioggia on the mainland and goes through Pellestrina, the Lido and Sant’Erasmo to Punta Sabbioni on the other side of the mainland. Due to the flat terrain, the bike path is unproblematic even for inexperienced amateur cyclists (however, it can always be windy at the sea).