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The beach of Sottomarina (Chioggia)

Sitting between the Adriatic, the lagoon and the countryside, the beach of Sottomarina, historically, 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. 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 Veneto senate impeded the reconstruction, which only began towards the second half of the 1700s when, to defend the entire basin, the imposing works of the dams (i Murazzi) were built in great masses of stone from Istria, set up to face the destructive effect of the tempests. 

The sand of Sottomarina

Sottomarina now enjoys a beach which extends beyond the mouth of the Brenta, up until the mouth of the Adige, in Isolaverde, renowned for its sandy terrain which is particularly well-suited for vegetation and is today a well-known tourist centre, endowed with modern infrastructure, surrounded by natural greenery. About 10km long, with a depth in some parts of around 300 metres, the beach of Sottomarina is appreciated by the entire coastline for the quality of its fine sand, with abundant presence of augite, quartz, silicon and micaceous elements which, together with a regular and constant breeze, makes it the ideal place for some therapeutic rest and an excellent tan. Its wide and welcoming shore is, without a doubt, the ideal place for long walks or for children to enjoy, or simply relaxing.