Chioggia and Sottomarina, amongst museums, historic buildings, beaches and markets

The proposed route will allow you to discover Chioggia through its three souls: the fishing one, that of the beaches and the one regarding the vegetable gardens. From the heart of the fishermen’s city, rich of historical buildings, churches, museums, ‘calli’ and banks, descending the Lungomare, the summer tourism center you’ll reach the gardens dedicated to the ‘Radicchio di Chioggia Igp’. Another thread to follow could be that of commerce having this city many different prices that means: sometimes those shouted from the stone stalls of the ‘Pescheria’, others, however, are those whispered in the ear during the auction at the Fish Market Wholesale or at the Brondolo Veggies Market.

Chioggia > Sottomarina

The route offers the possibility of following two itineraries:

ROUTE 1: the city route is 4 km long. Ideal as a walk

ROUTE 2: the path of the entire perimeter is 18 km

1. San Domenico Island

Here once stood an ancient Dominican convent. In this eighteenth-century temple you can admire works of great value: created by the artists Vittore Carpaccio, Jacopo Tintoretto, Pietro Damini, Leandro Bassano and Andrea Brustolon. Even if the most precious object is undoubtedly the huge wooden crucifix, more than four meters high, which dates back to the XIV century; and it is recognized as one of the most interesting existing specimens of ‘Cristus dolorosus’, of clear Nordic origin, which stands out among all for the expressive force, its realism and its dimensions.

2. Tower of Sant'Andrea

The ‘Torre di Sant'Andrea’ is in Romanesque style and dates back to the Xth century. In today's city it fulfills the role of bell tower, while it was once a defense and military sighting. On the facade overlooking the Corso, it preserves the oldest tower clock in the world, already existing in 1386, it seems previously to the Chioggia war.

3. The Cathedral

The current cathedral was erected in the XVIIth century, after a fire burnt the previous one, designed by the venetian architect Baldassarre Longhena. Inside of it you can admire numerous masterpieces; in the chapel, to the left of the main altar, are the relics of the patron saints Felice and Fortunato. In the nearby field stands the Romanesque bell tower which preserves, above the door, a Gothic bas-relief which is  known as "Madonna del Riposo", so defined because it recalls the visit of Pope Alexander III, who during the night of the 17 July 1177, rested on his steps before going to meet Emperor Frederick Barbarossa

4. Palazzo Granaio

It is one of the oldest buildings in the city, previous to the Chioggia war, projected in a very sober Gothic style, it was built in 1328. It had the function of conserving the grain needed by the community and originally rested on 64 columns. At the beginning of the ‘900s, the open spaces on the ground floor were closed to obtain the necessary warehouses for the adjacent fish market. On the facade there is a newspaper kiosk with an image of the Madonna and Child attributed to Jacopo Sansovino (1486-1570).