We can’t think of any other city we’ve visited that’s quite like Chioggia. It’s similar to nearby Venice with canals and bridges to connect them but it’s different because it doesn’t have as many tourists. It feels like a real work-a-day bustling fishing village. We chose it mainly for the seafood and it hasn’t disappointed us. Our hotel, Boutique Duomo Hotel in the city center is comfortable but with a few quirks.
Next door is The Church of the Holy Apostles built in 1431. After it’s latest restoration, it was designated as a church of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Just across the street is the main place of worship for Chioggia. The large Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta dates back to 1627 and has beautiful chapels and works of art.
The town is made up of a series of islands, separated by canals with bridges…like a small-scale Venice.
Many large and small fishing boats line the canal and there is a fish market Tuesday through Sunday.
This statue pays homage to the local fisherman.
The city is lovely at night.
Small restaurants called cicchetterai line the canals and come alive in the evening serving tapas-like small snacks of seafood, cheese, or meat on bits of bread. These are traditionally served with a glass of Prosecco or an Aperol apertivo. It’s a very fun meal.
It’s the weekend and locals fill the streets. Some people are day trippers from Venice and possibly some visitors are from a large Viking cruise ship, though we suspect they are here to visit Venice.
The laundry is out;
and people are lined up to go to their favorite trattoria for lunch.
Somewhere in the distance, we hear a woman singing Volare!
Seafood plates don’t always photograph well but we’ve enjoyed some wonderful meals here. We devoured a tasty cheesecake dessert at Do Ombré Ristorante & Fishbar.
This is definitely a city for wandering. Three nights here was a good amount of time to see the sights. Tomorrow morning we’ll go to Padua. We’ve purchased our bus tickets (€5.50 each) and found our bus stop nearby. Everyone seems to love Padua so we’re very anxious to check it out!