Pellestrina
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One of Veneto's best kept secrets, Pellestrina is one of the islands in the Venetian Lagoon, a short hop by ferry from the town of Chioggia on the mainland or from its neighbouring island, Venice Lido.
The island is a thin strip of land measuring 12 miles (7km) in length and just 500 metres at its widest. The main industry here is fishing and there are many signs of that with the proliferation of fishing huts that sit out in the lagoon and the large nets that hang over the typical fishing decks. |
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However, when I visited Pellestrina the thing that struck me most was the array of colour everywhere you look, very reminiscent of the island of Burano, also in the Venetian Lagoon. Pellestrina isn't as carefully manicured as Burano but has a charm all of its own with the locals quietly going about their daily business, untroubled by large groups of tourists.
The multi-coloured buildings really do catch the eye but there's still more to the island. It has a sandy beach on the sea side (as opposed to the lagoon side), several churches and a good number of shops, restaurants and a bank with an ATM. If you're looking for somewhere solely to sunbathe this probably isn't the place for you as the beach isn't as well-maintained as that of Venice Lido for example but if you want to see a genuine, living breathing island this is a great place to visit and to understand how life in the Lagoon works.
One of the reasons for the relatively small amount of tourists is that it can be a comparatively awkward and long journey if coming from Venice itself but it's a different story if coming from the mainland. From the town of Chioggia you can take the Venice Water Bus (Vaporetto) line number 11 and it's just a 25 minute crossing. You can also visit from Venice but it takes a good deal longer and can be a bit complicated if you need to get back to Venice the same day.
The multi-coloured buildings really do catch the eye but there's still more to the island. It has a sandy beach on the sea side (as opposed to the lagoon side), several churches and a good number of shops, restaurants and a bank with an ATM. If you're looking for somewhere solely to sunbathe this probably isn't the place for you as the beach isn't as well-maintained as that of Venice Lido for example but if you want to see a genuine, living breathing island this is a great place to visit and to understand how life in the Lagoon works.
One of the reasons for the relatively small amount of tourists is that it can be a comparatively awkward and long journey if coming from Venice itself but it's a different story if coming from the mainland. From the town of Chioggia you can take the Venice Water Bus (Vaporetto) line number 11 and it's just a 25 minute crossing. You can also visit from Venice but it takes a good deal longer and can be a bit complicated if you need to get back to Venice the same day.
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Category: Venetian Lagoon
Administrative area: Metropolitan City of Venice Population: Around 5,000 Size: 2 km² Highlights: Coloured houses Recommended accommodation: Locanda Stravedo Arrival port: Pellestrina
Journey time from mainland: 25 minutes Distance from nearest mainland port: 6 km |
Arrive by: Venice water bus
Arrive from: Chioggia Best airport: Venice Marco Polo Airport (58 km) |
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