"Roma caput mundi, Venetiae secundi..."

It was with this saying that people in the Renaissance used to recognize the heritage of the Ancient Rome of the Caesars in the splendour and magnificence of Venice.

The tourist that walks through the "calle" and the small squares, who stops to admire the beautiful palaces, the enchanting Canal Grande and St. Mark's square, one of the most beautiful squares in the world, cannot certainly miss that sensation of power and magnificence which is still pervading the atmosphere of this eternal city.Bridge of Sighs It silently transpires from the walls of palaces and monuments, from the lapping of its numberless canals even when Venice is shrouded in soft fog, transported in a grey and muffled dimension.

At nightfall the traffic of gondolas, steamboats, motor-punts is still great, the lights remind of the echo of feasts, banquets, ceremonies, of the goliardic atmosphere of an endless Carnival,St. Mark square while in St. Mark's square people are still sitting at the famous cafés.

The music of a piano and a violin can be heard.

Someone is quickly leaving the square and its pigeons to go to dinner, to sit immediately after maybe in front of a dish of fried "moleche", accompanied by a freshly made soft "polenta" and by an inviting and fresh frizzante rosé wine.

Walking through the narrow paths and the small squares in Caorle, among the coloured houses, it is inevitable to compare this town with Venice. But something makes Caorle different from the famous lagoon town:Piazza Vescovado the atmosphere that can be enjoyed in the old town, the excitement at nightfall as the fishing boats enter port in the middle of the night after a fishing day which has began in the first hours of the day.

It's then that Caorle shows its most characteristic aspect, linked with its tradition as fishermen's town. The buzz along the paths, in and out the wine bars, the stories of peopleCeremonial Caorlina rowboat who have created an indissoluble tie with the sea, pinning all their hopes and their life on it has always been merging with the enchantment that this town of Upper Adriatic offers the visitor.

And now let's immerse ourselves in this world, which used to fascinate Hemingway so much,casoni and let's discover the thousands tastes of Caorle's cooking in the delicious small restaurants of the old town or in the "casoni". Here Caorle's fishermen used to spend the "Fraìma" period, before the winter, maybe tasting the "broeto alla caorlotta" (broth the Caorle way), one of the most characteristic dishes, and matching it for example with an excellent Pinot Grigio.

A look at the quiet elegance that pervades this nice town located in the Eastern Veneto, on the border with Friuli region, is enough to convince anybody that a visit to Portogruaro should not be missed.

You should walk through the old town, along the alleys that link the two main streets, separated by the Lemene river, discover the old wine bars that smell of inviting and genuine things or admire the sight offered by the canals that pass through the town. Beautiful Gothic Venetian palaces overlook the canals and their small doors are reminiscent of Venice very much. The old mills, the small temple dedicated to the Madonna of the Pescheria, the small temple dedicated to the Madonna of the Pescheriathe typical leaning bell-tower and the municipal building rimmed by the unmistakable swallowtails will always enchant everybody.

And in the evening as soon as in the windows of thousands shops light up and a swarming mass starts animating the life under the galleries, here we are at the research of a small restaurant among the many ones that Portogruaro offers to close an unforgettable day in the best way, maybe in front of a dish of goose breast ravioli, washing down such a delicacy with a Cabernet Franc served at a temperature of 18°C.

Think about a sunny day, maybe in spring, and the desire to escape from the chaos and the frenzied rhythm of everyday life in order to immerse in a different world and in a different time, as the Roman boats used to sail across the Romatino river, today called Lemene, to reach the river port of Julia Concordia.

It is surely one of the most extravagant ways to sail along the Lemene from the river mouth located in Caorle to the nice town of Concordia Sagittaria.

Once you reach Concordia, do not forget to visit the beautiful Romanesque cathedral and the baptistery.In the surroundings you will find also the important archaeological site where you will be able to admire the great lapidary collection and the ruins of the ancient Proto-Christian church, one of the first Christian churches in the history!. We suggest you to visit also the Roman sacellum located in SS. Martiri road, where the martyrs from Concordia were tortured and killed, and the remains of the ancient Roman bridge that used to link the town of Julia Concordia to the Annia road.

Concordia Sagittaria offers a myriad of surprises and beauties. So before starting this journey back to the past what about having a nibble with a nice "sopressa" of the area, with some fragrant bread and a glass of sparkling Raboso?

There are places in which you feel as if you were living in the past.

Let's imagine the far and dark Middle Ages, a remote country abbey at sunset as the daylight is fading. Who's not fascinated by this atmosphere which has always been part of our childish fantasy?

We are in Sesto al Reghena, a village near to Friuli, on the border of Veneto. Its abbey was founded on the first half of 8th century and it keeps the charm as well as the gloomy and romantic atmosphere of the lost Medieval world, with its knights, the castles, the abbeys and its extraordinary legends.

Entering the Sesto al Reghena Abbey is like popping into our past, as man used to live in a more mystical age, forced to face the hidden fears and superstitions, trying to defend himself with the swordabbey - detail and finding courage and refuge in prayers. The solemn silence that reigns inside the church evokes echoes of ancient Gregorian chants,redemption hopes invoked to the sky, scents and sensations of a place which is more than an earthly building, and is rather the antechamber of our soul.

It is worth staying in Sesto al Reghena till the evening and having dinner: a tasty dish of "Frico" and mushrooms and a bottle of Lison DOCG, maybe in front of a warm and crackling fireplace.