THE BEAUTY OF CHIOGGIA
At the southern end of the venetian lagoon, a city even older than Venice itself has been recently celebrated by the New York Times!
According to the tradition, Chioggia was built from the refugees of the Troian war, the one in which Achilles and Ulysses fought against Enea, more than two thousand years ago. Maybe not Enea itself, but some true heroes must have built the incredible infrastructures of the venetian lagoon.
If this is pretty hard to prove, its beauty is on the other hand very easy to appreciate. Chioggia is a very traditional city, not an island, but still embedded in the water of the lagoon and of the Adriatic sea alike.
It is home to around 50 thousand citizens, many of whom are fishermen. Chioggia is famously renown for its fishery culture and therefore for the taste of its delicious food. Unlike Venice, Chioggia hosts both cars and boats, with these being a tourist attraction every year. It has so far remained a very local based city, with tourists preferring to go to the nearby islands of Venice, Murano, Burano or Lido. Yet, its beauty has reached overseas, and important newspapers are sharing this secret gem.
The New York Times listed Chioggia in a list of 52 must-see places, and Vanity Fair also cited this Italian city. No wonder why nowadays many tours around the lagoon are held, while and many fisheries go out to take the lagoon’s fishes: orate, branzini, ricciola, corvina and much more. Its incredible authentic atmosphere has been able to keep the locals there, while attracting tourists from around the world in the recent years.
But there is also lots of art to appreciate in Chioggia, and not just its beautiful streets and canals built with the precious marble of Istria (Croatia).
ART IN CHIOGGIA
Chioggia is full of beautiful churches that decorate the main streets of the city, with the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta being the most iconic and beautiful. Other beautiful pieces of art are church San Domenico, church San Andrea and church of Santa Caterina ... but there are much more to see!
Chioggia has also some iconic museums like the famous museum of the lagoon, but the next attraction is by far the most loved by tourists: the San Andrea tower, close to the San Andrea church, is home to the first mechanical clock ever built that still functions. A true mechanical jewel that serves a precious cause: that of ringing the bell for the citizens.
LITTLE VENICE
Many newspapers around the world have repeatedly compared Chioggia to Venice, to the point that the city is sometimes called “little Venice”. Truth is, it has some major things in common with Venice (Namely water that flows in the canals but has also a lot of things for its own. Chioggia is a much less visited place, and this has managed to create a more balanced environment between locals and tourists.
The fishermen that sail and return with the boats full are truly fascinating, and something you will hardly see in the much more regulated island of Venice.
Like the last traditional districts of Castello in Venice, Burano and Murano, Chioggia too shares this magic atmosphere of immaculate tradition and local culture that makes us all wonder how much longer this gem will stay hidden. And if it is our job to write about its beauty, it is also our duty to protect it, and respect it.
