Delta del Po

Art, sea and nature. Comacchio truly provides all the ingredients to enjoy a three-dimensional experience! From its extraordinarily beautiful historic centre to the white expanses of its seven lidos and the surrounding nature of its valleys. Spending a day in 'Little Venice' will make you fall completely in love with it!

Let's start with the town itself, a small treasure trove of art, culture and precious architecture that, with its dense network of bridges and canals, is capable of enchanting the visitor with a highly suggestive experience. Founded on thirteen small islands and heir to the ancient town of Spina, Comacchio is a treasure trove of precious architecture and evocative views that can be admired on a marvellous walking tour. The most beautiful view can be enjoyed from the Ponte degli Sbirri: on one side, there is the Antico Ospedale degli Infermi (Hospital for the Sick), a fine example of papal reformism in the second half of the 18th century, and on the other, Palazzo Bellini, an elegant residence built in the second half of the 19th century, as well as the famous Trepponti, a true symbol of Comacchio, which was the fortified gateway to the town for those coming from the sea along the navigable canal.

From the Porticato dei Cappuccini, which leads to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Aula Regia, you can access the Manifattura dei Marinati, a historic and ancient eel marinating factory, where it is still possible to visit the "Sala dei fuochi", with its 12 fireplaces to spit-roast eels. For archaeology enthusiasts, the Museo Delta Antico (Ancient Delta Museum) is a must. Housed in the imposing neoclassical architecture of the 18th-century Ospedale degli Infermi (Hospital for the Sick - 1771/1784), it hosts a rich heritage of archaeological finds from the territory, dating back to the earliest protohistoric periods up to the Middle Ages. A section of the museum houses the perfectly preserved precious cargo of a Roman ship dating from the Augustan period.

After this fine feast of culture, we can treat ourselves to a well-deserved lunch in one of the many charming restaurants in the town centre, where you must try eel, which will delight your palate with its 28 different methods of preparation.

In the afternoon, we can get on our bicycles and ride along the banks towards the Valleys (which can also be easily reached by car), a few kilometres from the residential area of the town. A landscape of unreal beauty, a magical kingdom rising between land and water, for many centuries of vital importance in the economy of the area and today an extraordinary natural site, visited by thousands of visitors every year. From Bettolino di Foce, an old fishing house, you can go on an extraordinary motorboat trip to the Salina (Saltworks), the ideal habitat for hundreds of species of birds, including pink flamingos, which have been a permanent colony here for years.

Finally, we can enjoy watching the sunset overlooking the sea, perhaps while sipping an aperitif on the beach. A short stretch of road leads directly to the Lidi Comacchiesi (Lidos in the Comacchio area), seven seaside resorts each with its own particular characteristics. At Lido di Spina a stop at the Casa Museo Remo Brindisi (Remo Brindisi House Museum) is a must, a true manifesto of the integration of the arts - architecture, sculpture, painting, design -, hosting works by masters of extraordinary calibre.