Heading south from Saint Mark’s Basin, we will navigate past some fascinating islands until we reach the ancient village of Malamocco on the Lido. From here, with a short walk, you reach the Murazzi.
Once back on the boat and after passing the Malamocco inlet, we will arrive at the islands of San Pietro in Volta and Pellestrina, with their large fishing fleets.
On the way back, along the Canale dell’Orfano, we will see the ancient islands of Poveglia, San Clemente, and Le Grazie before arriving back Venice.
Islands and Villages of the Southern Lagoon
San Lazzaro degli Armeni
In the early 1700s, the Venetian Republic granted the use of the island to an order of Armenian monks who founded an important center of Armenian culture here. The monks will take you on a guided tour of the library (170,000 books of which 4,500 are manuscripts), the art gallery and the ancient printing press, as well as the cloisters and the church.
Malamocco
Malamocco is a picturesque village on the Lido di Venezia, between the sea and the lagoon. Its name derives from the ancient Roman town of Metamauco whose disappearance between the eleventh and twelfth centuries was probably caused by a violent sea storm. Malamocco was the location of the original home of the Doge.
Murazzi
The Murazzi is an imposing and fascinating sea wall, first built by the Serenissima in the eighteenth century, which stretches for kilometers along the coast of the Lido.
Alberoni
An area located at the southern end of the Lido near the Malamocco inlet, the Alberoni incorporates a coastal habitat unspoiled by the development of beach resorts. Now an official WWF Oasis, it consists of a vast dune area and pine forest, both ideal for birdwatching.
San Pietro in Volta e Pellestrina
Both of these fishing villages evoke times past: everyone knows each other and, during the summer, people leave their front doors open with just a curtain to provide some privacy. Here the air smells of the sea, and often of the aroma of grilled fish.
Lazzaretto Vecchio
This small island lies a short distance from the Lido. In 1423, following a decree by the Serenissima, it became the location of the first public hospital for the treatment and isolation of the plague. The island is not open to public but guided tours run by the archeology club can be arranged if booked in advance.
Isola di San Servolo
Located between San Marco and the Lido, the island was home to one of the first Benedictine convents founded in the lagoon as early as the 7th century. In the early nineteenth century, the buildings were used as a psychiatric hospital, a function it continued to perform until 1978. Today, after several periods of restoration works, the ancient monastic centre hosts the ‘Museum of Madness’ (guided tours are available by appointment). The island is also home to the Venice International University, and to a magnificent park with exotic trees and plants.