• italiano
• english
• deutcsh

History of Sottomarina

Sottomarina

I Murazzi in Via San Felicei - Sottomarina

Sottomarina, in antiquity, must have seemed to be a thin strip of land, a coastal belt south of the Lagoon. Its structure has undergone substantial changes, especially since the eleventh-century, changing gradually from savage vegetation to more cultivated arrangements. Bordered at the south by the mouth of the Brenta-Bacchiglione (port of Brondolo), reaching to the north as far as Porto di S. Felice; the population was concentrated around the lagoon (or marsh) of Lusenzo, and was practically limited to the area that runs from the port to the current old market. At the mouth of the port, there are two wooden towers, respectively known as the Wolf and the Lion. Following the total destruction of 1379 in the course of the war of Chioggia, Sottomarina remained unpopulated, with no more sea defences, subject to continual flooding. The same senate impeded the reconstruction, which only began towards the second half of the 1600s. In the following century, to defend the entire basin, the imposing works of the dams (i Murazzi) were built.

Piazza Italia - Sottomarina

The city, historically, constituted an active and flourishing centre, governed by a Tribune and by its own laws. It could count some important churches (S. Martino, S. Antonio Abate, S. Matteo) as its own, as well as a hospital, a castle with a tower, the site of the island of the same name (Buoncastello). From here, a walled bridge linked the island to Chioggia; by the Lusenzo canal you could reach the island of S. Domenico and therefore Chioggia. A further 5 Km by a sandy shore, with a width that in some parts exceeds 300 metres. The legend is not the most ancient. Its territorial development was essentially the result of the lucky coincidence of two elements: the last deviation of Brenta from the lagoon, which took place at the end of the last century, made it necessary to avoid the burial and the now compromised safety of the flora and fauna, as well as the danger of malaria; and the construction of the dam, south of the port of Chioggia (S. Felice), a work undertaken at the half way point of the 30 years for the safeguarding of the territory and for the security of the boats.

The beach ofSottomarina Lido

From then, the supplies of the river increased according to the shoreline, changing the structure of the territory by, on average, three metres per year. Currently the beach and the tourist area are equipped with modern infrastructure, such as hotels, camp sites and private residences with thousands of beds.