Bounties of La Serenissima

A day out on the wild, quiet waters of the Venetian lagoon — with a boatman who grew up on it. You set out from Venice at 7 AM, often in the dark, in a vintage motorboat, and head into the salt marshes and open shallows that are home to the lagoon's birdlife, where the tall grasses bend with the tide. You stop at Torcello — a Byzantine cathedral and a scatter of old stones standing in the marsh. At Sant'Erasmo, you walk among the farms and vineyards that have fed the city for centuries and taste the island's produce. At Lio Piccolo — a small farming hamlet out on the tidal flats, well beyond the tourist routes — you stop for coffee in the quiet. Also, you stop at Fort Sant'Andrea, the 16th-century fortress at the lagoon's mouth if it’s open — or see the Arsenale, the shipyard that built the Republic's fleets, from the water. But the day is really about the lagoon itself — its birds, its light, its grasses, and the deep calm of a place most visitors never see.

Almost everyone who comes to Venice just stays in Venice for their entire visit. The lagoon around it is a UNESCO wetland and one of the only tidal lagoons in the Mediterranean — a bird sanctuary where more than half of Italy's bird species nest. At low tide, herons and egrets feed on the exposed mudflats. At that hour — and, honestly, for most of the day — you're unlikely to pass many other boats. You have the lagoon to yourselves. The salt marshes that make this possible are eroding, and the fishing and farming traditions of the lagoon are fading with them. Spending a day here — early, slow, by boat — is a chance to see a natural landscape that is both rare and under threat. There is no set script. Davide shares the lagoon he loves — its islands, produce, and the quiet — and introduces you to people he knows along the way.

A passionate and experienced boatman and guide - born and raised in Venice, Davide De Giorgi has an extensive knowledge of the city’s lagoons, which he acquired through his family’s fishing background and his own experiences sailing around on a vintage motorboat. This cultural insight, along with Davide’s studies in anthropology and languages, make his tours an unforgettable immersive experience.

Wind-cheater or jacket. Dress warmly in wintertime. **For your safety, this tour may be canceled in bad weather. Davide will message you via Chat if any slight time adjustments are needed due to tides or weather.