Jesolo and the Venetian coastline by bike

FIRST STOP

Towards Eraclea Mare

The direction to take is towards Eraclea Mare. Leaving this locality on the left, climb over the bridge that crosses the canal of the Litoranea Veneta, the waterway that once connected Venice to Friuli, allowing boats not to go out to sea.

Immediately after the bridge, turn right towards Revedoli, a tiny village a couple of kilometres from the Piave River. Here we step into the remembrances of the First World War. Piave River is referred to as the “sacred river of the Fatherland” because on its left bank the Austro-Hungarian army that intended to invade Italy in 1917 was stopped.

Revedoli, together with Caorle and other nearby localities, are mentioned and described in the beautiful book ‘Das Ende der alten Armee’ (translated into Italian as “Stages of the Defeat”) written by Fritz Weber, an officer of the invading army. Today you can cross the Piave River on a characteristic pontoon bridge, one of the few still active, paying a minimal toll, either by car or by bike.

THIRD STOP

The Venice Lagoon

From here, the road continues to its end in front of the Venice Lagoon. On the left side, towards the sea, the area is home to a series of campsites, among the largest in Europe, a summer destination for numerous tourists.

On the right side of the road, however, one can see numerous vegetable gardens; this area has been renowned, since the time of the Serenissima Republic, for the large cultivation of vegetables. And the asparagus that grows on these sandy soils is a delicacy worth tasting.

As an alternative to the long straight road from Cavallino, you can take a parallel road, which runs further north and runs along most of the lagoon. You pass through numerous small villages, rich in history still associated with the Serenissima, but all very characteristic and worth seeing: Ca’ Ballarin, Ca’ Pasquali, Ca’ Savio.

Wandering around the internal streets of this area, you can see the remains of numerous “watch towers“, tall buildings from which soldiers watched the sea, ready to raise the alarm in case of danger.