The meeting is in the morning at the port of Lignano Sabbiadoro. There we load the bikes onto the small boat and not even time for a yawn as we are already engulfed by the sounds and smells of the lagoon. The sun bounces on the surface of the water and the chatter on board leaves room for a contemplation that someone more familiar with the spirit could perceive as mystical, others – more prosaically – still struggling with the fumes of the whites with their discreet but savory elegance , Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Pinotof the dinner the evening before Send Parentesi Friulana instead they will find the echo of the chatter after the meeting in the evaporating haze first taster bike ride on the strip that hosts Sabbiadoro, Pineta and Riviera. And the summoned ghosts of Hemingway, Sordi And Scerbanenco they will fly like Chagall figurines – hurled from the spiral structure of the visionary urbanist Marcello D'Olivo as if it were a pinwheel – over there, beyond the tropical promises of the island of shells.
It will be the slap of the wind in the face, the first warm sun, the tingling sensation brackish and burnt in the nostrils… and you already enter the canal at the end of which the thousand-year-old tower of Marano it gradually gets bigger.
In the Nature reserve Canal Novo Valleybeyond the scaffolding you creak into the kingdom of the anatids, of the red heron and the Black-winged Stiltin a place suspended between mud and reeds and tamarisk and resurgence waters, a land of passage between the mainland and the open sea, there are those who come in technical outfits and professional shoes, those in Bermuda shorts and sneakers, and must appear curious to the birds here paused on the air highways of their ritual migrations, that being who paws on the pedals with the aerodynamic helmet on his head or the red cormorant bandana and with whom obtorto neck even the grumpy swan has to deal with it.
Cycling in Marano
You pedal as you want, because in the end the group spontaneously adapts to the differences and those who go fast are soon the first to assist those who fall behind, the racing bikes get ahead of the city bikes, the assisted bikes catch up on dirt roads: a Marano we gather together for a coffee in the little square and then we go along dirt roads, almost touching a Muzzana the forests of ash trees and black alders, smells of ursine garlic and wild mint, meeting the hasty fox and the fleeing roe deer, finally stopping all together at the small deconsecrated church. They call them three waters because here rivers, sea and lagoon interact, giving life to a unique ecosystem of salty, sweet and brackish, once a swamp then reclaimed, a work of man that does not override nature and in mutual respect preserves identities and differences.
Who comes for the glampingwho to sleep in floating housesthose looking for the authentic Bepi's scales, a stilt house on the river that could be on the Mekong were it not for the photos on the walls of Gassman and Pozzetto, where the net rises and falls at regular intervals and marks the time of lunch. With the well-deserved rest they enjoy the volpina, sea bass and trout, fish cicchetti and gnocchi al boreto (a sauce made from the scraps of the catch with vinegar and plenty of black pepper from what once passed through here from Byzantium) which tastes of solitude and the fishermen's art of making do, when true wealth is the time of waiting that separates the superfluous things from the essentials and we hear extraordinary stories like that of Fulmine, electrocuted among the reeds and saved by the chain with the crucifix that he still wears melted on his chest like a tattoo.
So we arrive, sated, in a waltz of straw and lapping, again by boat, ai casonithe structures poised on the sandbanks, the emerged lands of the lagoon like the backs of cetaceans that smell of mud and tufts of limonium, and Roberto, one of the one hundred and forty people from Marano who own a large house that is not inherited here but handed down from father to son, with his face baked by the sun and wine, as if he were truly the incarnation of the old Pope who here in his “Italian Florida” found temporary happiness in shooting ducks, writing about war and falling in love, he welcomes us with a blue crab and a glass of prosecco or Slovenian pelinkovec: and it then seems like we are in a precarious balance not only in the lagoon presided over by the swan but in the whole world, between cultures that respect each other (and even the ancient rifts between the people of Lignano and Marano are diluted from irony), hybridizations in harmony with the enchanting sound of silence, Lignano Sabbiadoro on the horizon with its skyline waiting for the summer season, so close yet far away.
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On the Tagliamento
Loaded up, we set off again the next morning now confident with spokes and gears, a desire for sun and sweat, and this time we leave the Riviera side for the tours which goes up the lagoon along the intertwined canals that regulate the waters at the mouth of the Cuttingencountering the water pumps built with the engines of World War I submarines, on dirt roads that run along the banks as if following the invisible thread that stitches together a patchwork of reeds, cjase Friulian stone houses with pergola, warehouses of food companies, from beer 620 steps (the measurement of the perimeter of the ancient walls of Marano) to the processing of apples he was born in honey, banks that delimit riding stables, always pedaling at your own pace, and then asphalt and kerbstones, in the vast and taciturn plain, without haste until, climbing the road on the embankment, the Tagliamento appears between the shrubs, dazzling like turquoise , a pale blue apparition between the green of the fields and the yellow of the rapeseed. And Pasolini and the boys' dives into the river in summer come to mind.”Without hesitation in that freezing water… and mysterious”.
Some free proposals from June starting from Lignano in the saddle (tour duration from 3 to 10 hours)
Bike excursion to discover Lignano
A relaxing tour to get to know Lignano, its hidden corners, the villas of the famous people who have stayed there, to fully savor every nuance. We start by following the cycle path up to the unmistakable Red Lighthouse, from where you can appreciate a glimpse of the string of islands that separates the Adriatic from the lagoon, such as the Isola delle Conchiglie, an ideal base for kitesurfing. We will then move through the alleys of the dock area to take the raised cycle path that runs along the Marano Lagoon, admiring it in all its splendor, and finally arriving in Lignano Pineta, to discover its artistic and architectural beauties in the shade of the pine trees.
For info: Discovering Lignano
Cycling between the two rivers
To discover the true essence of Lignano, you cannot help but venture along the rivers that outline the peninsula: the Tagliamento, with its gentle bends that mark the western border of the city and Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the Stella, which flows into the waters of the lagoon crossing the natural reserve of the same name. The itinerary of this excursion follows the cycle path that leads to Lignano Riviera, then runs along the Tagliamento on the new cycle path that reaches Gorgo di Latisana; from here, crossing lush countryside, you arrive at the small church of Santa Maria della Neve. For the return, however, the route follows the Stella river from its mouth on an elevated cycle path overlooking the lagoon, to arrive at Aprilia Marittima and finally to Lignano.
For info: Cycling between the two rivers
Lignano – Marano excursion by bike and boat
An ancient fishing village overlooking the lagoon, with a fascinating historic center with a strong Venetian architectural influence, Marano lagoon is a true jewel where time seems to have stopped. To reach it, this excursion from Lignano runs along the Tagliamento embankment up to Gorgo, to proceed towards the Stella river, crossing it on a cycle bridge and then entering the Muzzana woods, finally reaching Marano. Given the challenging route to be tackled on a city bike, with long stretches of dirt road, this excursion is suitable for the most prepared cyclists, but the final landing in Marano will repay every effort thanks to its beauty and the possibility of tasting the excellent dishes based on fish caught in the lagoon, before returning to Lignano in complete tranquility by boat.
For info: Lignano and Marano by bike and boat
Info to discover the Lignano area by bike: free excursions from Juneor by writing to the email address [email protected], booking is mandatory by 5.00 pm the previous day by calling the number +39 348 8734734 or directly to Lignano Sabbiadoro Gestioni bike point at the Beach Village (beach office 7 – Sabbiadoro). Where applicable, the boat trip must be paid separately to the person providing the service
Source: Vanity Fair
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