It’s a hot Thursday afternoon in summer; the backpack with the sun cream, the hat and the bottle of fresh water is ready: we’re about to leave!

Where are we going? Well, honestly not so far… it is a bicycle tour accompanied by the guests of Camping Dei Fiori and Camping Mediterraneo. The destination? Lio Piccolo, a place in the Venetian lagoon, very impressive because it is surrounded by moors. If you are lucky, you can also admire some flamingos during the high season!

The meeting point for both campsites is Casa Rossa, the red building located about halfway between the two campsites. From here we will all start together, today we are really many: there are families with children, individual athletes and also some couples, all determined to spend a different day of vacation than the usual one and to discover something new in the area in which our campsites are located.

Buckle up your helmets, check your bike’s brakes and adjust your saddle height – it’s time to go! We all head in a single line to the center of Ca’ Savio, and then turn off towards Treporti. From there we will cross the bridge and continue towards Mesole, the first village of our tour.

Here we make only a short stop, just enough time to say hello to the nice ladies who have gathered in front of the houses: In fact it is an Italian custom to bring a chair to the front door, sit down and chat with the neighbours. The seniors are happy to see so many new people and faces, so they greet us joyfully and let us continue our journey.

After about an hour and a half of cycling, we finally reach Lio Piccolo: we are welcomed by the small church of Santa Maria della Neve and an archaeological museum, Palazzo Boldù, both overlooking a square of gravel. Here we take a longer break: some cool down under the water of the fountain and others use it to visit the museum “Fragments of the lagoon”. Inside there are objects of different kinds: amphorae, furniture and jewellery. All archaeological finds were found on the seabed of the northern lagoon and tell us about life in these places since Roman times. The history of Lio Piccolo has not always been flourishing: for two centuries the town has been abandoned due to bad environmental and climatic conditions.

The regeneration break continues because only a few meters from the square there is the farm “Le Saline“: The owners are already waiting for us and with them a real “Venetian snack”. We sit down to enjoy the sandwiches with salami and the wine of the house, overlooking the peace and quiet of the lagoon canals. The children have fun playing with the dog that lives on the farm while the adults have a quiet and relaxing chat.

Time passes quickly and unfortunately it’s already time to get back on our bikes and return to the campsites: We greet enthusiasmly the farm owners and slowly start our way back. The late afternoon lights let us appreciate the magic of this place even more: a pleasant contrast between the immense silence that inhabits it and the lush nature that pervades it.

Goodbye and see you at the next adventure!

Translation into English by Teresa Uhlig