The Best Kept Venetian Secret: Diary of a Perfect Day in an Italian Paradise

Last week I had the chance to enjoy one of the best kept secrets of the Venice lagoon, the island of Ca’ Roman Natural Reserve..

To start the day slowly, I went to the traditional cafe of Chioggia in Piazzetta Vigo where I had my cappuccino, watching boats sailing off..

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From this typical Venetian square, the heart of the old town of Chioggia, I took the ferryboat line 11*. After a scenic 12 minute trip on the lagoon, I got off at the first stop called Caroman (or Ca’ Roman) with a few other visitors. 

I was traveling light, I had water, fruit, a snack, a couple of beach towels, but some who got off the boat had beach umbrellas, foldable sunbeds, ropes and hammocks.

​Off the dock, I entered the green and wild island of the Ca’Roman natural reserve. After walking a few minutes in the fresh shade of the trees,
I reached the sandy dunes of the beach, inhabited only by a very small number of visitors. 

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The daily visitors take care in building the only allowed human constructions on the beach: (very) temporary tents on the shore, put together with pieces of driftwood and seaweed, with the rope and the pieces of cloth brought from home. 

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After spending almost an hour building my own shelter as a modern Robinson Crusoe, I let the sea refresh me with a swim in the shallow and transparent waters of the bay.
You can easily see fish, crabs and other little inhabitants of the sea. 

Relaxed by the rhythm of the waves and dried by the warmth of the sun, I explored the sands of the beach finding beautiful shells, almost impossible to find on other more known beaches of the Adriatic Sea…
​ Here is my little treasure

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When the sun set, I headed back to the dock, and walked the artificial path (i Murazzi) connecting the islands of wild Ca’Roman and colourful Pellestrina. 

The sunset on the lagoon was breathtaking, full shades of vivid orange and bright yellow.
​Climbing the Murazzi wall of the path up to the top I could see both the sea and the lagoon, and embrace the true essence of Mediterranean sea life. 

Walking the narrow alleys of Pellestrina, watching the fishermen docking their boats, and the locals sitting by the road and chatting,
​ I found a romantic little restaurant to taste the fresh fish

When I took the ferry line 11 from Pellestrina to Chioggia, the moon was up in the night sky, offering me silver glimmering light
​on the calm and silent waters of the Venitian lagoon.