Our next port of call, after Monte Argentario, was to be either the Venetian island of Murano (because Vanya wanted more Murano glass to take home to the UK) or Chioggia, a tiny island a little to the south of Venice (because I fancied a trip down memory lane). Venice would be a good jumping off point for both of those places and Vanya therefore booked us into (surprise, surprise) Hu Camping Venezia.
Most people would drive from Monte Argentario to Venice in the one day but that is not our style. Firstly, I dislike driving the Van any more than 3 hours at a time (so that I get to enjoy more of the places we pass through) and; secondly, Vanya wanted another stay at the excellent Hu Camping Norcenni at Figline Valdarno (so that she gets to enjoy more time in the best camp sites). We broke the journey at Figline Valdarno and that evening, while drinking some fine wines in the camp site enoteca, we formally classified Hu Camping Norcenni as a “Most Excellent Camp Site”.
As indicated above, the following day would see us drive to Hu Camping Venezia: our jumping off point for visits to Murano and Chioggia. It took us a little over 3 hours to get from Figline Valdarno to Venice and on the way, we passed the 4,000 mile mark on this tour. We also decided that we would visit Chioggia ahead of Murano. I’ve never been a great fan of Murano.
It was 1968 when I last visited the little fishing port of Chioggia. I had not long turned 14 and was on a family camping holiday on the Adriatic when a genial Italian fisherman (who was camped on the same beach and had become friendly with my parents) invited my brother and I to join him on a visit to his workplace (a fish processing plant on Chioggi) as a reward for our helping to teach his children how to swim. I kid you not. I don’t remember a great deal about the trip except that my parents were pleased to see the back of my brother and I for the afternoon and the fisherman was delighted to show off his new best mates to his work pals. I do recall not being very impressed with Chioggia at the time but; that may have had something to do with the fisherman taking us for lunch in the fish factory’s canteen and feeding us whitebait (or similar), washed down with red wine. Nowadays, I would love the experience but in those days I didn’t drink red wine and the thought of eating fish complete with head, fins, scales, etc made me want to throw up.
On this occasion, Chioggia proved an absolute joy! I cannot think of the words that will do the island justice but, we both fell totally in love with the place. It is almost all the best bits of Venice without the glitz and the crowds. It is how Venice must have been before it grew up and became overrun with tourists… and it’s cheaper.
Words fail me… and so, a few photos…
I took a great many more photos in Chioggia (regular readers of this blog will have noticed that there’s not one photo of a church, interior or exterior, included amongst the above and neither have I reproduced any of the photos which properly demonstrate this is still very much a busy fishing centre) but I trust those I have reproduced here provide some idea as to how magical this island is? Certainly, there are some positive memories of Chioggia now ingrained in my mind which will remain with me forever – the view along the canal from the Ponte di Vigo; walking the Fondamente Riviera Vena (without a doubt, my favourite walkway); eating cicchetti at a bar on the Corso del Popolo and sipping coffee outside the Hotel Grande Italia on Piazzetta Vigo to name but a few.
A wedding was in progress as we were wandering the streets and the happy couple seemed delighted when, during their photoshoot, I shook the groom’s hand, kissed the bride and wished them all the best for their future.
Next time I visit Chioggia I would be inclined to stay in a hotel so as to be able to sit on a quayside in the evening and watch the sun go down – perhaps with a good bottle of red wine and some whitebait or similar? I saw a couple of suitable looking establishments on Fondamenta Mario Merlin but; hey, I’ll be back more than one more time.
We’ll definitely return to Chioggia!