The Stella Cycle Route and the Marano Lagoon
In the Friulian lowlands, between Palmanova and Marano Lagunare, the embankments of a spring-fed river lead to a wild lagoon of herons and reed beds. They remain in the shadow of Grado and Lignano, and for this reason here you cycle almost alone.
Foto: Ziegler175 (CC BY-SA 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons
There is a slice of Friuli that almost no one seeks out, squeezed between the crowded beaches of Lignano and the lagoon charm of Grado. It's the Bassa, the flat, damp plain where the springs make the clearest of water gush from the ground and where the river Stella is born already grown, without a real mountain stream behind it. Cycling here means crossing a landscape of water and silence, made of grassy embankments, reed-thatched casoni and a lagoon that few know to be wild.
The course of the Stella
The guiding thread is the course of the Stella, which descends slowly toward the lagoon, tracing meanders among fields and riverside woods. You gladly set off from the inland, around Palmanova, the star-shaped fortress town with nine points that is worth the stop on its own: its geometric design, a UNESCO World Heritage site along with the other Venetian defensive works, is something you truly grasp only by looking at it from above or by walking along the ramparts. From there you leave behind the last lively settlement and descend toward the river.
The stages are small and discreet, as befits this land. You pass Rivignano and the springs area, where the water is so transparent it reveals the gravelly bed; you go by country chapels and rural villages where time seems to have stopped at the farms and the vine rows. Approaching the coast the landscape changes: the fields give way to salt marshes, fishing lagoons and reed beds. The natural point of arrival is Marano Lagunare, an ancient fishing village with its tower and the Venetian dialect that sets it apart from the surrounding Friuli. From here the lagoon opens up with its islands, the fishermen's casoni and the Foci dello Stella nature reserve, a labyrinth of channels where herons, little egrets and, in winter, many water birds find refuge. Nearby there is also the Valle Canal Novo, a nature oasis perfect for those who want to stop and observe.
In the saddle
From a cycling point of view it's an easy route suited to everyone. The surface alternates lightly trafficked secondary tarmac, embankment roads and beaten dirt tracks; the elevation gain is practically nil, because we are on the absolute flat, and the physical effort stays contained even over generous distances. A hybrid or gravel bike is ideal, but with a bit of care any sturdy bike will do. The real adversary is not the climbs but the wind and, in summer, the lagoon mosquitoes: better to be prepared.
When to go
For this very reason the best months are late spring and early autumn. In May the countryside is green and in bloom, the days are long and the air still cool; in September the summer heat has died down, Lignano's beach tourism has emptied out and the lagoon prepares for the great migrations. In both cases you avoid both the coastal crowds and the worst of the mosquitoes. It's an area that lives on passing tourism, so outside the peak weekends of August you have almost all of it to yourself.
A practical tip
A practical tip: allow time for a stop at the table in Marano. Here the lagoon fish and the products of the northern Adriatic are a serious matter and, after a day on the embankments, sitting down before a plate of fish with a view over the channels is the right way to close the ride. And if you can, ask about the boat excursions among the casoni: leaving the bike for a couple of hours and being carried into the lagoon offers a perspective on the water that you can't grasp from the mainland.
Practical guides for Venezia
Practical info
When is the best time to visit The Stella Cycle Route and the Marano Lagoon?
The recommended time is May and September, when it is less crowded.
Where is The Stella Cycle Route and the Marano Lagoon?
The Stella Cycle Route and the Marano Lagoon is located in Friulian lowlands, Marano Lagunare.
