Comacchio, or the Little Venice as it is often called, is in the province of Ferrara in the Emilia Romagna region, an enchanting little lagoon town with a network of canals which is famous for its eel dishes.
Bridges and handsome old palaces
Packed with history and less than an hour from the Adriatic seaboard Compacchio, known as the Little Venice, is considered the capital of the Po Delta Park. The town expresses the best of both water and land and from the Ponte degli Sbirri bridge you get the most spectacular view: on one side the Antico Ospedale degli Infermi, and on the other the 19th century Palazzo Bellini and the famous Trepponti bridge, the symbol of Comacchio. The ancient Manifattura dei Marinati, which is now a museum, tells the story of Comacchio’s centuries-old link to eels and you can visit the Sala dei Fuochi which has 12 fireplaces used for spit-roasting eels before marinating them.
A daily fish market and an October eel festival
Today the town’s seafaring traditions still live in the Antica Pescheria, a beautiful 17th-century building, which is now home to the daily fish market. Archaeology lovers should not miss the Museo Delta Antico, in the imposing neoclassical 18th-century Ospedale degli Infermi (1771/1784), which has on display many archaeological artefacts brought to light in the area. In the many local restaurants you find appetizers of scallops, shrimps and clams. First courses include seafood risottos and spaghetti with shellfish and then come grilled eel dishes accompanied by polenta, as well as sole, mullet, turbot, gilthead bream and stuffed cuttlefish. Foodies should note that the first two weekends in October are dedicated to the Eel Festival with food tastings and street performances.
Ferrara and Ravenna are near by
The Comacchio Valleys south of the town centre are a must and can be visited by bicycle or motorboat to admire the lavorieri traps for catching fish, the beautiful vegetation and the chance to spot pink flamingoes. The handsome UNESCO city of Ferrara is less than an hour away, and worth visiting for the magnificent Castello degli Estensi, to stroll through the picturesque medieval streets or cycle along the imposing Renaissance walls. And Ravenna, with its splendid Byzantine mosaics is even closer - just half an hour by car. For information: https://emiliaromagnaturismo.it/it/localita/comacchio
