Italy’s ‘Little Venice’ is so overlooked even many Italians don’t know it

Comacchio is a place few foreigners visit and many Italians have never heard of, judging by the puzzled response of several Italian friends when I ask if they know it. They don’t live in the region of Emilia-Romagna, so I suspect this small lagoon town, close to the Adriatic coast, might be another of those tiny jewels in Italy’s vast treasure chest of cultural riches that are easy to overlook.

Maybe it’s because Comacchio has always been a little off the radar. Inaccessible by road before the 19th century, until recently it was primarily known for just one thing: eels. While the natural resources of its vast lagoons were a source of income and sustenance for eel fishers for thousands of years, the region is now diversifying. And it has a lot to offer, especially for anyone keen to escape the tourist crowds and experience an unusual and lesser-known part of Italy.

Comacchio’s beguiling landscape forms part of the Po Delta Regional Park, which was established in 1988 and designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. It’s a magnet for nature lovers. The region’s wetlands (also partly located in the region of Veneto) are the largest in Italy. In the area you’ll find pine forests, reed beds, lagoons, raised embankments, pretty beaches and more than 300 species of birds, including flocks of flamingos that rise like an undulating wave of pink when they take flight.

The landscape is soft and dreamy, nothing like the golden hues of Tuscany, the dramatic Alps and lakes of the north, or the rocky, sun-drenched south. Once you’re out on the lagoon, the quiet chugg of a boat, the wind in the reeds and the murmuration of birds are the only sounds.

If this sounds hopelessly romantic, it is. Even in the heat of summer, cycling along the historic embankments – built to prevent flooding – is a serene experience. From Comacchio, we take flat, smooth paths south to the Foce Station visitor centre and boat dock, where we climb the viewing tower to admire the valley’s scenery. The flat, coastal delta stretches to the horizon, the tower offering a bird’s-eye view of the patchwork of waterways, fishing huts and villages.

A tour of the lagoon by boat reveals more about the eel fishing culture and life on the water, stopping at one of the casoni da pesca, small homes fringed by reeds that once housed extended families.

Eel pots by the door are one of the few remnants of past lives. It looks picturesque, but the work was hard and the rewards meagre, the day’s catch often dictated by the whims of weather, explains our guide. Smuggling often provided a second income.

Comacchio’s Manifattura dei Marinati, a 17th-century processing factory that was once the economic heart of the town, is now a museum dedicated to the history of eel fishing in the area. Inside, scenes from the 1954 melodrama La donna del fiume (The River Girl), show the film’s star Sophia Loren in front of massive fires where eels were roasted, before being pickled and canned, making – possibly for the first and last time – eel processing look sexy.

The fireplaces remain, but the aroma of roasting eelsis long gone. Instead, the massive hall is a base for the local Slow Food group. We try one of their eel tasting plates with a glass of wine. In the museum shop, preserved fish in elegant tins are the perfect souvenir.

In the 20th century, two significant archaeological discoveries helped put Comacchio on the map: the necropolis at Spina, a treasure trove of Etruscan jewellery and household goods, and a complete Roman ship with some of the only intact leather, fabric and rope samples from Roman times. As a result, the new Delta Museum in the sleekly reimagined 18th-century hospital is outstanding.

Comacchio is a small town, often called “Little Venice”. Like Venice, it has elegant canals and bridges but few of the grand palaces typical of the more famous port to its north. It is low-key and charming. There are a handful of restaurants, bars and gelaterie servicing tourists and locals. Wherever you go, eels still feature prominently on the menu – an evocative taste of the lagoon and its ancient history.

THE DETAILS

VISIT

The national park and lagoon can be explored on foot, by bike, car and boat or kayak. Guided tours are the best way to explore the region, with bird-watching and lagoon tours available. Don’t miss a visit to one of its seven beaches. Highlights of the year include the annual Eel Festival, held in autumn, and a biannual bird-watching fair. The €24 ($43) museum pass provides access to the town’s four museums.

sagradellanguilla.it
visitcomacchio.it

FLY

Singapore Airlines flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Rome or Milan via Singapore, with train and bus connections to Comacchio.
singaporeair.com

STAY

While Comacchio offers three-star hotels and private apartment rentals, popular local campgrounds provide a nature-focused getaway by the beach and park. Accommodation includes tent and van sites, accessible cabins and glamping. Some resorts also offer bike rental and delta tours. See campingtahiti.com or campingflorenz.com.