Along the Litoranea Veneta 

For centuries the northern Adriatic see has been influenced by the coastline "Litoranea Veneta": a water road that connects the Golf of Trieste to the lagoon of Venice trough a system of lagoon channels.
The see, rivers, sandy peaks, dry river beds and fisher houses: this is the Litoranea that developed in consequence of natural events but also due to the intervention of man.
This extraordinary water channels labyrinth begins with the Lagoon of Venice and goes on to the harbour of the Lido passing trough the channels of "Tre Porti", "Pordelio" and "Casson" where it meets the river Sile. From here it turns into a maze of channels that continues until Trieste.
To emphasize this ancient network of waterways the Association Consorzio Litoranea Veneta has been found. The task of this association is to make the entire area between Trieste and Venice navigable again trough the realization of small harbours, berths, depot and refuelling facilities as well as tourism services.
Another main task of this association is to promote a new itinerary in the Mediterranean see trough the unique environmental and artistic beauties of this area

- The lagoon natural characteristics

The world of the lagoon is made of water and floating pieces of dry land (depths of silt, clay, sand and flat mud surfaces ploughed by small channels called ghebi).
Among submerged marshes and emerged mud surfaces spontaneous macro alga species like the sea lettuce, the sea chitterling and the red moss grow. These plants are a source of nourishment for several wading birds species during their migrations.
The characteristic vegetation of the lagoon depths is called zostereto: it is an area of great environmental importance, because among the eel grass and the perennial sea plants, many young fish and spineless species find shelter.
Near the mouth of the rivers the vegetation changes: the cane thicket dominates. Here bird species like rails, herons and bitterns, songbirds and marsh warbles nest.
In the fresh water areas, near the ditches, the marsh cane is replaced by the similar typha, the common water lens and the rare laminar vegetation made of fresh water seed plants whose leaves float on the surface like water lilies.
On the ground of the running water you can find several underwater plants like the pondweed, the soft hornwort, the water yarrow and the elodia, while along the river banks hygrophilous woods of willow trees, poplars and elms grow, that remind of the ancient shelter woods.