Chioggia Boat Tour
April 7th 2026
Cappuccinos in the morning.
Since we only had the one night, we got up early to see more of the town before we left. Found a nice little cafe on a side street and had a quiet moment. We have a boat tour scheduled at 12:30, so we have time to explore more of the town. Sandy wanted to see the local fish market, so we started our quest to find it. There were a lot of small pop-up carts selling fruits, cheeses and various meats. Eventually we found the Pescheria (Fish Market). It had a big archway at the entrance with children in playful intertwined forms to represent life and innocence after WWII.
Entrance to the Fish Market
After the fish market, we found a bakery and tried some of the local pastries and pizzas.
Pizza and pastry
We booked an Airbnb Experience called Chioggia: Tour to Pellestrina with Typical Boat. The tour took us into the Venetian Lagoon to the Pellestrina Island. Here there were many colorful houses. They did this intentionally to help them find their way home on foggy days. Although not necessary today, they continue to do it our of tradition. Our guide took us up past the rows of fishing boats with large mechanical dredging frames used to collect clams from the bottom of the sea. They would drop them in and put the boat in reverse and dragged along the bottom to collect the clams. Chioggia is the second largest exporter of clams in Europe.
He also showed us one of the original slipway systems used to move boats from the land to water. It is all made and wood and still works! As we passed through the harbor entrance, there was a statue of the Madonna del Mare that watches over the entrance to Chioggia’s harbor. He took us into the canals of the old town through the Ponte Vigo bridge. The point of view from the canal really puts the city in a different view. Our guide pointed out various facts, such as how most buildings only had ornate windows and balconies on the second floor. The first floor was for the business, the second floor was for the owner, the thired floor was for the servants/workers.
Our Guide Damiano.
After the boat tour, we headed back to the car and started our journey back to Rome. It is a six hour drive, but we were on the “freeway” most of the way, so the driving was pretty easy. We had booked a place to stay near the airport. Tomorrow we need to return the car by 8:00am, then catch our flight out by 11:00am. Tonight we will repack our bags for flight travel. Italy has been a fun trip!
