If you think about one vacanza in houseboatexcluding the Po, ours is not a country of large rivers like those found in the great European plains, just to stay on our continent. Yet there are also navigable rivers in Italy, so much so that in many quarters and for a long time there has been a call for the valorisation of the waterways, the large navigable water roads both for the transport of goods and above all for tourist purposes.
Houseboat holiday: 7 navigable rivers in Italy
When you think about a holiday in houseboatboats that are driven without a license to navigate rivers, canals and artificial waterways, one immediately thinks of France and Holland, yet even in Italy there are some rivers which due to their characteristics and the territories they cross , rich in historical evidence and natural beauty, are well suited to a holiday in houseboat.
1. The Po river
652 km long but the navigable ones are even more: if houseboatcanoes, boats and Bateaux Mouches are starting to be seen from Turin and up to the Po Delta, the real waterway network which also adds canals and tributary rivers reaches over 800km. In everything they are there 12 ports with real docks, 111 berths (3 in Piedmont, 39 in Lombardy, 36 in Emilia-Romagna, 33 in Veneto) and over 20 river operators for the rental of boats or the organization of excursions or actual cruises. The most beautiful trait? It’s impossible to say: along the route of the Po there are over 60 parks, reserves, equipped areas and natural oases, as well as obviously cities of art. The Turin Po river park is divided into 3 large macro itineraries: Po dei Laghi, Po dei Re and Po delle Colline; then there is the enormous Ticino Park, with hundreds of km of walking and cycling routes; from Piacenza onwards it is the triumph of wetlands, reserves and protected areas, and then there is the Po Delta, which requires a separate discussion.
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2. The Po Delta
Il Po delta it is a world apart, with its own characteristics from every point of view, obviously including the naturalistic one. The interesting thing to know when organizing a holiday in houseboat in what is one of the largest humid areas in Europe and the Mediterranean is the fact that the Delta can be reached not only from the main cities bordered by the first Italian river but also from other river cities such as Cremona, Mantua, Venice but also Parma , Padua and Verona. The Po Delta Regional Park it is an area of over 380 square km, between its Venetian and Emilia-Romagna parts: in addition to tourist navigation, it is possible to practice other outdoor activities such as birdwatching in the Veneto Regional Park of the Po Delta Poiana, excursions or cycle tourism.
3. The Sile river
It is an interesting river, both from a landscape and historical point of view: it originates from some springs in the Treviso and Padua areas, touches Treviso and heads towards Venice before which it was diverted, in the seventeenth century, via the Taglio di Sile canalwhich carries its waters towards the old bed of the Piave and from here into the Adriatic, between the Lido di Jesolo and the Cavallino coast (the old course is however still followed by a branch called Silone which, through a system of locks, leads to Venice, proceeding through the marshes protected by the Sile River Park). The first stretch, up to Treviso, is navigable only with light and personal boats such as kayaks and canoes, while from the Treviso capital to the Adriatic you can also navigate with houseboatthe ideal way to discover the water culture of this area, from the Burci Cemetery, the imposing boats used for the transport of goods located in Casier, to the naturalistic areas of the lagoon.
4. The Brenta river
Also in the north-east there is another very interesting navigable area, that of Brenta Riviera with its Naviglio that flows from Stra to the Venice lagoon among Venetian villas and an area rich in artistic and natural heritage. Navigation is permitted from March to October, retracing the routes of the ancient Burchielli, the typical eighteenth-century boats for transporting passengers used by wealthy Venetians to reach country villas. You can sail from Padua to Venice via Stra, Dolo, Mira, Oriago, Malcontenta, Fusina.
5. The Venetian coast road from Venice to Trieste
It is a network of artificial canals and rivers that originates in the Middle Ages, when river transport was advantageous in terms of time and cost compared to land transport, and which still today allows you to discover the north-eastern territory , from the Venice Lagoon to the port of Triestethrough Portogruaro, Latisana, Pordenone and Marano.
The actual route of the Venetian coast road matters 109 km navigablefrom the Conca del Cavallino to the Isonzo river, although it is actually possible to navigate from the Lido port to that of Trieste, crossing the Treporti, Pordelio and Casson canals then the Sile river, from here into the Cavetta canal and the Piave river and then through the Revedoli, Largon, Commessera, dell’Orologio and Saetta canals arrive at the Caorle lagoon and continue along the Nicesolo, del Morto, Baseleghe, Cavanella, dei Lovi, Lugugnana, Cava Nuova and Cava Bevazzana canals up to the Tagliamento from which to begin crossing the lagoon of Marano and Grado with the Lovato and Pantani Canals, reach the Isonzato and Isonzo Canals via the Giò de Mur, Taglio Nuovo, S.Pietro di Ori, di Barbana and Tiel Canals, and then reach Trieste by sea.
6. The Po Valley Waterway
She is best known as Mantua – Sea even if in fact it is a navigable waterway that passes through Fissaro, Tartaro, Cabalbianco and the Po di Levante for 135 km which cross the eastern part of the Mantua territory and the province of Rovigo. This system of canals and locks saw the light starting from the 1930s, although it has only been actually navigable by tourist boats since 2000, representing a beautiful waterway through the countryside of the lower Po Valley.
Read also: The Mincio cycle path, from Mantua to Lake Garda
7. The Navicelli Canal from Pisa to Livorno
It’s a bit like the FI-PI-LI of the sixteenth century, the century in which this was opened channel for the transport of goods from Pisa to the port of Livorno and which takes its name from the typical Tuscan boats of the time: the canal is 35 meters wide, also navigable by boats for the transport of goods and as well as next to numerous industrial settlements that exploit it to transfer their products to the port of Labronico it also crosses the San Rossore Migliarino Massaciuccoli Natural Park. At the time of actual houseboat practically there are none to be seen and there has been discussion for years about opening an outlet into the Arno which could make this stretch of fresh water from the Tuscan capital to the sea much more attractive.
If you like rivers and holidays along their course you may also find some ideas in this article on 10 cycle routes along the most beautiful rivers in Europe.
Credits: Pixabay
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2024-06-14 08:25:44
#navigable #rivers #Italy #houseboat #holiday
