A long walk from the Caneo at Punta Sdobba to Grado

Slow Tour

4 April 2018

Slow Tour

A long walk from the Caneo at Punta Sdobba to Grado

In telling this story, this Sunday spent in good company with the lads of the Mattador Prize, might seem a bit strange: almost twenty kilometres walking from the Caneo to Grado, with the merciless Bora wind blasting us and not letting up for a minute, and with the melancholy of the winter sea... it is late March and we all want the spring, the first short sleeves and cheeks reddened by the sun, but apparently the organisers and participants of the Award will have to come to terms with a winter that does not want to end and that accompanies them during all four days of walking from Trieste to Aquileia (the project is called “Visions in Motion”, making cinema by walking). I join the third stage, from Caneo to Grado following a stretch of the FVG-2 cycle trail: the day begins with a visit to the Foce dell'Isonzo-Isola della Cona Nature Reserve, a garden of Eden where Camargue horses live free in the area and the incredible number of resident and migratory birds makes the reserve a birdwatcher's paradise. A shy sun accompanies us on this short outing, deluding ourselves with regard to a possible error in the weather forecast, but no: a cap, gloves, a backpack on the shoulders and off we go! We go by car to the Caneo, a small hotel on stilts that I had already discovered on my excursions leaving from Punta Sdobba in summer (a romantic little village with not even twenty fishermen) to go out in a SUP (stand-up paddle) to the sandbanks just off the mouth of the river Isonzo. From here we start walking towards Grado: we meet few walkers on the way, but our group gets on well together; we know each other, we talk about our lives and we (barely) notice the wind and the effort. Halfway there, we stop at the Valle Cavanata Nature Reserve for a quick packed lunch, then we continue our journey. Arriving at the pinewood of Grado, we cross the stretch that separates us from the city centre along the beach, where we meet some bold kitesurfers taming the wind with their sails.

The legs are starting to ask for a little rest and before the meeting with the Grado authorities that are coming to welcome us, there is just enough time for a quick visit to the Basilica of Santa Eufemia. The fresco of Christ in a mandorla, the ancient floor mosaics, the pulpit with Moorish dome, make this place of an unending beauty and makes us understand why some people call Grado “the mother of Venice”. Before dinner, we are lucky to meet a local inhabitant, a writer and historical memory of the Golden Isle, who fascinates us with his stories about the fishermen, Biagio Marin (the poet who used to write in the local dialect), festivals and traditions of the place... The day ends with pizza and beer in good company, then we say goodbye and happy, with eyes full of the images recorded along the trail, which combined a nature reserve of extraordinary significance and a town of Venetian charm and ancient origins. How wonderful this Friuli Venezia Giulia is!

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Alice Sannia

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Sardinian roots, Friulian heart. I live in Cordenons. I love the sea, Trieste and tiramisù. I am a tour guide and deal with marketing and public relations. Coordinator of the Gruppo Giovani di Pordenone del FAI - Fondo Ambiente Italiano.