Tom`s travels: Caorle (21/08/2019)

On a nice sunny day, my brother and I decided to take the bicycles and from Jesolo visit the nearby town of Caorle. After getting on the bikes, we headed eastwards and followed the waterfront for a while until we reached the bridge which crosses over the Piave river. We crossed over to the other side and then continued onwards on a straight way passing by Duna Verde and Porto Santa Margherita, two known seaside locations. Not long after we then reached Caorle and after going through the modern area we reached the old town. In fact, this is one of the few beach towns of this area that preserves its ancient old town having been founded along with Venice after the fall of the roman empire and the arrival of the barbarian invasions. Most of the towns along the coast are in fact much more recent and a product of modern seaside tourism. Another peculiarity regarding the town is that the streets and squares, just like Venice, are called calle and campo instead of the typical via and piazza found all around Italy. We carried out bicycles alongside us and wandered along the pretty streets with typical low and colorful houses. At one point we reached the Duomo, the most important landmark of the city. Built during the 11th century, it didn't suffer many alterations during its long history. It is also specifically known for its conical romanesque bell tower which stands right in front of its facade and which can be also visited but was unfortunately closed at the time of our arrival. We decided to visit the interior of the Cathedral which featured a long central single nave, like the churches found in Ravenna, featuring a mix of romanesque and byzantine architecture. Some of the capitals were ancient roman spolia reutilized, and here and there some traces of medieval frescoes were visible on the walls. After exiting the church and walking a few hundred meters along the rock barrier dividing the city from the sea, we reached the small Santuario Della Madonna dell'Angelo, one of the city's symbols. Built at the end of the rock barrier just above the sea level, it is thought to be older than the Cathedral and probably founded during the 9th century. Its present structure is that of the rebuilding which took place during the 18th century. The sanctuary, since its beginnings, has been a place of worship as it was built around the small figure of the Madonna which was found at sea. The figure was unfortunately burned when unknown thieves stole from the sanctuary in 1923. A new figure was commissioned and replaced the old one and still today it is used in the processions that take place throughout the city. After visiting the sanctuary we had a quick swim in the water just next to it and then decided to head back to the bicycles which we had parked next to the Cathedral. From there we then headed back to Jesolo by following the same way we had come in the morning.