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The Barene Path
Just a few miles north of the city of Venice, in the heart of the Lagoon, stretches the Sentiero delle Barene: a walk of about one kilometer, ideal for nature lovers and birdwatchers.
The barene are muddy lands that are submerged during high tide, essential for the balance of the lagoon ecosystem. They host plants capable of surviving in brackish water and provide shelter and nourishment to numerous species of fish, crustaceans, and migratory birds.
The trail is located on the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, situated directly opposite Sant’Erasmo, known as the “garden of Venice.” For centuries, Lazzaretto Nuovo had a crucial strategic and health-related function: it was the place where the Republic of Venice established the quarantine system, choosing it in 1468 to host the preventive isolation of people and goods arriving from different ports around the Mediterranean.
Today, Lazzaretto Nuovo is a site of great historical and environmental interest and is home to the Ecomuseum of the Venetian Lazzaretti. The Sentiero delle Barene is a nature walk that winds along the perimeter of the island, retracing the ancient patrol route of the sentinels. Visitors walk among 19th-century bastions, ghebi(small barena channels), groves of laurel, wild plum bushes, and marsh reeds.
On the horizon opens a spectacular view: the skyline of Venice and the islands of San Michele, Murano, Torcello, Burano, San Francesco del Deserto, and, of course, Sant’Erasmo.
Educational panels, curated in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Venice, accompany visitors on a journey through the history and conservation of the lagoon’s flora and fauna. Throughout the seasons, close encounters with cavalieri d’Italia (ruff birds) and little egrets, woodcocks and hawks are possible, and among the barena plants, samphire, sea lavender, sea purslane, and sea asters can be found.
