Venice from the sea, Venice and its lagoon - the one superbly reflected in the other. We unwitting tourists hardly realise that the city wouldn't exist were it not for the wider and little-known aspects of these waters and the traditions of the ancient lagoon. To get the visitor away from the well-known stereotyped scenes of the postcards and give them the chance to appreciate some of the unusual and more characteristic aspects of the natural environment, some years ago a new tourist experience was launched (following the guidelines of sustainability and responsibility).
Fishing tourism means joining in with the lagoon fishing community in the joy of taking to the sea for what is surely a unique experience.
This marine frontier of eco-sustainable tourism combines the beauty and sensations of drawing close to nature - in what is almost its primordial state - with an interest in fishing. It attracts visitors once more to the old, almost deserted seaside villages and invites them to spend the day on a fishing smack with fishermen who show them the secrets of the lagoon sand shelves and traditional fishing. They can taste the freshly caught fish there and then on the boat. The half submerged sandbanks, sounds of a mullet jumping here there and splashing about in the water, the gentle rustling of the reeds in the breeze - all little things, but emotionally overpowering sounds of nature. Experience them along these naturalistic waterway itineraries of the North Lagoon of Venice, sliding slowly along the canals in a bragozzo, a typical Venetian smack, between sandbanks and reed beds, immersed in a delicate ecosystem quite fascinatingly hidden and mysterious. The fishermen aboard their traditional vessels offer you a wonderful trip and a variety of experiences. You can select your fish after the catch, share the excitement of an ancient skill, absorb its colourful sounds and the expressions in the local dialect. You learn to cook fish the traditional way, right there where you caught it; and maybe you can try fishing with the bilancione - a special sort of net - or aboard one of the fishing smacks.
