Caorle was a surprise. I had never been there before in my entire life, and it is only 30 minutes away from my aunt’s home, that once was my grandmother’s home, in Eraclea (10 minutes from the best known Eracela Mare, the seaside resort). I have been living in Padua since forever, except my first 2 months of life. During the last days of pregnancy my mother, who had already 2 kids and no relatives in town, preferred to go to her mother’s and stay there. My father was often away on business. My mother had a difficult delivery so it was good to stay with grandma and have some extra help.
But let’s go back to Caorle. It is a beach resort too, very popular during summer. I entitled the post “il mare d’autunno” meaning “the sea in Autumn” distorting the title of a famous Italian song by Enrico Ruggeri called “Il mare d’inverno”, “the sea in Winter”.
Matteo and I had to go see my aunt Anna after lunch, so, as I woke up and saw that it was a wonderful day, I decided to leave and go see Caorle, have a quick lunch there and then go to visit “la zia Anna”.
Our visit to Caorle
We parked the car in a parking lot along via dei Bragozzi (a Bragozzo is a wooden sailing boat typical of the Adriatic see) and then we walked (less 10 minutes) along the river bank to reach the town centre. It was pleasant cause there were many different and picturesque boats to see and the sky was crystal clear. It was very very windy, though. Luckily I always have a secret defensive weapon in my purse, my ear-muffs! We reached the centre and I found out that Caorle is very colorful.
I knew about Burano but I ignored that here the houses were coloured too. It was a lovely surprise. There were many restaurants, ice cream parlours, cafés and shops, like in every tourist town. Everything was clean and tidy, people were strolling calmly, other people were already eating or drinking still seated outside despite the wind.
In the Cathedral (St. Stephen, example of Romanesque and also Byzantine styles) there was a Mass going on so we peeked just a moment and went out. The bell tower is very peculiar cause it is cylindrical.
The promenade
At a stone’s throw from the bell tower there is the sea promenade, with lines of rocks sculpted and carved by artists depicting things like dolphins, men, sirens, a book, a house, etc. Very nice to see.
An there, between land and sea, there is the little church of the Blessed Virgin of the Angel. Its legend narrates that one day some fishermen spotted a light at sea and approach it: it was a statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, so they decided to carry it ashore. Once there, it was too heavy to be transported to the Cathedral. And it was at this point that a group of innocent children managed to carry the statue till the near Archangel Michael Church, hence called “Virgin of the Angel”. Once arrived at this little church, you will spot the thin sand beach.
Sense of civic humour
We returned to the centre to continue our tour and spotted some funny but useful writings on the pavement: “Respect your city: Chewing gums in the bin!” and “Free waste (for dogs) bags at the Town Hall”. At some point we even saw a “scuba diver bike”. Naturally it was just a joke, but it was fun. The municipality has sense of humour. I also noticed here and there many Venetian region flags and many fishing nets outside the houses and along the streets.
Lagoon
A few miles from the town centre, along via dei Casoni, there is a little pier with a view on the Lagoon and a few ancient Casoni (thatched country houses). I recommend you to go and see it cause it was really charming and romantic, apart the “Beware of vipers” signs that frightened me! I dindn’t took a picture of that cause I was too busy paying attention to potential vipers… And I also suggest you to go out of season to enjoy this village at a slow pace. I imagine it must be full of tourists during July and August. Have you ever been there? What do you think about this town?
