A WALK ON SAN ERASMO
An unusual walk through a marginal island habitat with its sense of desolation and abandon. San Erasmo has none of the vitality, the confusion of colours and people or the austere majesty of other islands in the north lagoon. San Erasmo is the land of silence, of subtle atmosphere which
seem suspended in time as though here noone has bothered to spur on the noisy machine of 'development'. A day with a difference spent on an island which even nature has demoted - from noble lido to minor island, overtaken by the growing profile of Punta Sabbioni. An island which has preserved intact its dignity as difficult and frontier territory
In the above picture, the Torre Massimiliana (1848). Below, a shot taken during the traditional Feast of the Most taking place in October
Means: on foot
Route: from the ACTV landing stage of San Erasmo-Capannone, take the tracks leading south and follow them around the coast of the island.
Lenght: Km 9
Time required: 3 hours(non-stop)
Conditions: for about four kilometres, the route follows asphalted roads, the remaining five are along dirt roads.
Assistance: there is just one food shop in the village. In case of emergency, contact one of the numerous private houses.
Recommended period: from April to October
Clothing: suitable for the season. The weather can be hot and humid during the summer and windy during spring and autumn. Good footwear is recommended.
Warnings: on arrival, check the timetable of the boat for the return journey. Respect crops and private property. On Sundays and Bank Holidays in summer, the island's beaches are crowded. San Erasmo can be reached from Punta Sabbioni by ACTV
Points of interest
- The skyline of Venice seen from the south east lying to the right during the first section of the walk
- The Fort of San Erasmo or Torre Massimiliana, refuge of the Emperor Maximilian during Daniele Manin's insurrection in 1848.
- The sandy beach on the eastern side of San Erasmo
- The Seca del Bacàn, towards the mouth of the Lido harbour: a growing system of sandbanks and bars and an important transit point for the flows of migratory waders (curlew sandpipers, ruffs, spotted redshanks etc.)
- The horticultural landscape of San Erasmo with the characteristic colours and scents of the crops and the uncultivated land interspersed with fish hatcheries
- The lagoon landscape along the western shore with San Francesco del Deserto shrouded by long lines of cypress trees and a broken expanse of sandbanks which are tinged with shades of gold in late summer
