Marano Lagunare

There, over there, towers its tower. 'Millenaria', the people here call it, more to emphasise its importance than to attribute a precise age to it. Here, everything seems to belong to a world of its own, starting with its secluded position, protected from the open sea by a series of islands and islets, such as those of Martignano and Sant'Andrea, also known as the Island of Shells. Until the end of the 19th century, everything here was surrounded by walls: not even the Turks, in the 16th century, managed to break through. And the Venetian Republic tried hard to hold on to it, leaving a strong architectural imprint. In fact, the historic centre is all a succession of calli and piazzas, towards which the houses push, leading to common spaces for meeting and working outdoors. Here, in the lagoon, opens the Foci dello Stella Regional Nature Reserve, which cannot be reached by land. Arriving by boat, you enter an exceptional microcosm, a true paradise for birdwatchers. From one of the most evocative branches of the delta, one enters the extreme mouth and before one's eyes a spectacle of rare beauty opens up: a village of casoni, made of reed and wood, all looking westwards, the side most sheltered from the bora and tramontana winds. Every year on the Sunday after 15 June, the feast of San Vito with the ancient procession at sea is a must.