WHAT TO SEE AND DO A DAY IN CHIOGGIA, "LITTLE VENICE"

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Venice? Do not! It is not the most romantic Italian city, although it is undeniable that it has a certain resemblance to it ... Halfway between the Veneta Lagoon and the Po Delta, there is a small but very beautiful island, which houses a city very similar to his “older sister”: Chioggia. They separate it from Venice about 50 km but the difference between them is abysmal!

If you want more information of Venice, visit our GUIDE TO A TRIP TO VENICE

To start, Chioggia is quite smaller and it travels easily in half a day, and to continue, in Chioggia there are almost no tourists (If you travel in low season, the most likely is that the only tourist is you) and this, in one of the most visited countries in the world is appreciated. If you also add your decadent and overflowing personality, make it a perfect place to spend a morning sightseeing.

Taking advantage of our last road trip through Italy and that Chioggia is very close to my grandmother's house (Inter's number 1 fan), we went to spend a few hours at fishing village, colored houses, bridges and beautiful corners They seem drawn.

It is best to get carried away by intuition and roam the alleys, cross the bridges and observe the canals. But there are a couple of things you have to do yes or yes (who says a couple says 5):

1. Tour Corso del Popolo, the main street of the town, full of shops and little bars where you can have a good cappuccino or an Aperol spritz, a very famous drink in Italy, which is prepared with prosecco, sparkling water and Aperol. We love it, but we warn you: the first one always knows good luck, it is a mystery but it is like that (eye that then hooks!).

In Corso del Popolo you will find two buildings that are well worth a visit: the Santa Maria Cathedral and the clock tower where is the clock placed in an oldest tower in the world (it is 1386).

2- Reach the Piazzetta Vigo, Where is he most monumental bridge of Chioggia and a column with a little lion, symbol of the Republic of Venice, (it is the "cat" of Chioggia, named for being tiny and not imposing as much as a lion).

From the bridge you have two must-see views: on the one hand the main channel of the city, full of boats and facades of colored houses, and on the other the Veneta Lagoon. By the way, if you want to explore it, know that there are tourist boats that take you on an excursion for € 5 for about 30 minutes.

3- If you go in the morning you can not stop approaching one of the places with more personality (and smell) of Chioggia: we talk about Fish market, which is under a red tent next to the canal. Here you will run into housewives in search of good deals, with restaurant owners hunting for the freshest pieces and with savvy sellers and majetes.

4- Did you get hungry? There are a few nice looking restaurants, you will see. We arrived well eaten (it is what you have to stay at an Italian grandmother's house) so we didn't try anything but we saw some places that are probably worth it:

Bacaro la baia dei porci, with cicchetti (tapas venetas) for € 1.50-3.50. It is in Corso del Popolo 1347
Osteria ai Cioppi, perfect for those who want to try a good pizza. In Via Felice Cavallotti 373
Caneva Café, another bacaro (local where dishes and tapas are served) perfect to try some specialties of the veneta cuisine. Prices from € 1. You find it in Riva Vena 1277.

5- And finally look at the inhabitants of Chioggia: They have the reputation of being quite impulsive and somewhat fierce (Carlo Goldoni, one of the most important Italian playwrights dedicated them to a play ... "the quarrels in Chioggia"). Although quiet, most people are super nice. They also have a accent Super peculiar, more similar to Genoese than Veneto. The reason? Do you sound like something the Marine Republics? Chioggia was part of the Republic of Genoa until 1380, when Venice snatched it away.

So far our recommendation to spend 1 day (or half) in Chioggia, the little and unknown Venice ... next to Venice!

Have you heard of Chioggia?

Useful information

:: Where to sleep in Chioggia?

Although it is normal to spend the night in Venice, in Chioggia there are also good accommodations, and cheaper! Find yours here.

:: How to get to Chioggia by public transport?

Although the best way to get to Chioggia is by renting a car (and by the way you make a nice road trip through northern Italy), obviously it is also connected to neighboring cities with public transport.

From Venice: at the Piazzale Roma, the bus number 80 of the ACTV company leaves to Chioggia. If you arrive at Marco Polo airport, you will first have to take line 5 or express line 35 to this square.

:: Where to park in Chioggia?

If you arrive by car, there are several places where you can park for free:

Via Giuseppe Mazzini: this area is residential and you will find a yellow parking area (only for neighbors), but there are also free places.
Via Guido Lionello: there is a paid parking, but on the sides of this street you can park for free.
Fondamenta Canal Lombardo: along this street parking is prohibited, but sometimes there are places in the mouths that open to our right. We park it here, an unbeatable place!

Be careful because in Chioggia, as in many other Italian cities, there is a limited traffic zone (ZTL), usually in the historic center, and if you access you will be fined!

:: See all our articles about Venice