June 1st, first day of summer in Italy and the forecast only showed sun, sun, sun.

Get out the sun protection cream and lip balm!

After an ‘interesting’ breakfast discussion with accomodation owner Sven (he speaks 6 languages, has a low opinion of anyone not speaking at least 3 😳), plus our faux pas mentioning we hate all the smoking in Venice which put us off going there again (to then note the cigarette lighter in his hand), and Tony saying how in Australia you cannot smoke at outdoor cafes. Sven became almost apoplectic (now noting cigarette in his other hand) and we went into our best ‘dig yourself out of a hole mode’ as he went into a passionate rant about the diminishing liberties of smokers…ho hum…

Thank goodness another guest arrived for breakfast and by the time we went back to our room, passing Sven I could smell the cigarette stench, but he was calmer 🤣🤷‍♀️.

We left via the beach side of Lido, where they were just gearing up for the day.

Two ferries were required today. One from Lido to Pellestrina island, then a second to mainland Chioggia, In between we would ride the remaining length of the Venice Lagoon.

Both islands are very narrow with Venice lagoon one side, Adriatic Sea the other.

In many spots a high sea wall exists to protect the islands, the views across the Venice lagoon were lovely. The myriad of small islands, aquatic activities and fishing structures.

On Pellestrina life is very casual. We rode through a spot with two vans selling their wares, the first fruit and vegetables, the second cheeses. Locals all get around in bikes vs cars.

The ferries were not an issue, more of a waiting game. More nice views,

Docking in Chioggia, another canal city. As we could tell from the water, busy as and we made a beeline to safely extract ourselves from the throngs and the markets we seem to route through!

We found a quiet cafe to stop at, as I needed a toilet, so buying a coffee gives us access!

The next chunk of riding was on a busy arterial road, which was to feature a bit today. When I saw the sign Romea I’d groan.

But we did turn off to see some of the extensive Po Delta, one of the most important wetland areas of Europe, largest in Italy, boasting double UNESCO recognition.

64,000 hectares in total, with over 400 animal species and 1,0000 plant species. 300 different bird species, 50 species of fish, 10 amphibians…the extensive list goes on.

We did see an impressive bright green lizard, flamingoes, deer, a large dead mammal looking animal ( no idea what it was), and a plethora of birds.

The riding is very chilled through here. More people riding bikes than cars. There were higher vantage point lookout towers built.

The day was hot, our bike computers had it well over 30 degrees, it was also very windy and we were in a very flat and open area with little to protect us from the super strong headwinds.

The headwinds were cooling, but they do make pedalling forward harder.

We were back in that busy Romea road, and we did detour through a nice little village of Mesola as we needed something more to eat and cold drinks,

We found these two buildings in our way to locating a small supermarket boasting a gazebo with table and chairs. We did enjoy chilling there.

After around 110 km we arrived at our overnight destination, Comacchio, founded 2000 years ago. It is considered a major centre within the Po Delta region, and is also known as Little Venice, due to all of its canals,

We found our accomodation, next to this canal and boat.

We started our post shower wander and both really like this town. It has a great vibe, wonderful historic bridges and buildings without the chaos of other touristy towns,

Some of the views.

Did I say no chaos in this town? We found it! Last week it was the Giro d’Italia, this week the Giro del Lago! We walked into the epicentre of an 8.5 km running race that had very good support.

Now this guy is the kind of official needed at all running and triathlon like events. He is at the triple bridge as we tried to walk through. Think again! He also reminded us very much of one of Raymond Reddington’s friends from the Blacklist.

Back on the course, #125 is in the lead into the second lap. By the third lap he’d cleared out with a comfortable lead. By the fourth lap the shirt was off. He won.

Heading back to our dinner we did try to go into the cathedral but a church event was happening. A quick glimpse though and it looked very nice with high painted domes but it was just not appropriate to enter further.

This is the nicest grilled octopus dish I’ve ever had. Very much enjoyed this,

Health wise how are we tracking? Tony still has a receding thigh lump but otherwise the accident has pretty well healed. He is getting a cold and hacking a bit.

My bruising is coming out. The lump is making sleep difficult as it hurts most in bed. It does not affect me riding as the lump does not touch the saddle when I sit.

So we’re now heading in a southerly direction for a few days before we head west through Tuscany.

The sights have dramatically changed, the weather is warmer. The forecast is good for tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. 😊❣️