Beyond the workaday docks and medieval streets of old Roman fishing port Marano Lagunare, peace and quiet is ensured by two nature reserves: 13.77-sq-km Riserva Naturale della Foci dello Stella, protecting the marshy mouth of the Stella river and reached by boat, and Riserva Naturale della Valle Canal Novo, a 121-hectare reserve in a former fishing valley. A visitor centre, in a characteristic reed hut, is shared by the two reserves and can advise on boat tours, walking and cycling itineraries.
Laguna di Marano
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
8.47 MILES
The entire floor of the Latin cross-shaped basilica, rebuilt after an earthquake in 1348, is covered with one of the largest and most spectacular Roman…
29.45 MILES
The mosaic school in Spilimbergo is one of Friuli's most fascinating places. Although established in 1922 in a post-war effort to provide vocational…
24.93 MILES
Sitting on a rocky outcrop 7km from Trieste, Castello di Miramare is the city's elegiac bookend, the fanciful neo-Gothic home of the hapless Archduke…
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
22.21 MILES
Udine’s modern and contemporary hub brings together a number of bequests, creating a substantial collection of 20th-century Italian artists, including De…
28.02 MILES
This extraordinary house-museum was the home of wealthy Triestini merchant Pasquale Revoltella, who made his fortune in the timber industry and had a hand…
11.12 MILES
Situated on an island in the lagoon, the Barbana sanctuary is an ancient shrine, the origins of which date back to 582. The current church dates to the…
28.43 MILES
Constructed from pearly white Istrian stone in 1868, the Serbian Orthodox church has a typical Byzantine style, its large central dome flanked by four…
22.19 MILES
This intimate oratory has a dramatic ceiling painting of the Assumption by Giambattista Tiepolo, with a glowing Madonna framed by tumbling, rather…
Nearby Friuli Venezia Giulia attractions
1. Museo Archeologico Nazionale
8.35 MILES
Opened in 1882, Aquileia’s archaeological museum is one of the oldest in Italy. Recently renovated, its rich and varied collection has been superbly…
2. Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
8.47 MILES
The entire floor of the Latin cross-shaped basilica, rebuilt after an earthquake in 1348, is covered with one of the largest and most spectacular Roman…
8.49 MILES
Scattered remnants of the Roman town include extensive ruins of the Porto Fluviale, the old port, which once linked the settlement to the sea. Also free…
8.57 MILES
The Early Christian Museum is an archaeological site as well as a museum, housed on the site of an ancient Christian basilica, the mosaic floor of which…
9.57 MILES
The westernmost beach in Grado is at the tip of the island and has been serving holidaymakers for centuries. It's free to access it although there are…
10.03 MILES
Grado's historic core is dominated by this Romanesque basilica, dating to AD 579. Its rich interior decoration indicates its early importance when the…
10.1 MILES
A corner of Grado's busy town square is home to the mosaic floors of a paleo-Christian basilica. Uncovered during roadworks in 1902, they have, more…
10.51 MILES
Grado's main beach is a 3km-long sandy strip facing due south. The beach shelves gently into shallow waters making it perfect for families, and lifeguards…