FROM THE MAINLAND TO THE LAGOON AND DOWN TO THE BEACHES OF THE ADRIATIC SEA

STAGE 3

(Bibione - Grado, 70 km)

In the last stage on the Adriatic coast, we leave the Veneto and enter the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. We will ride around the wide and scenic Marano lagoon area, setting off from and arriving in two of the region's most famous seaside resorts: Lignano Sabbiadoro in Friuli, separated from Bibione in the Veneto by the mouth of the Tagliamento river, just across the regional boundary; and Grado in Venezia Giulia, Mitteleuropa's Golden Island, close to Trieste and Slovenia. The route offers the chance to experience a remarkable variety of distinct landscapes: the wild lagoon scenery along the banks of the Stella River; the green lowland woods of Muzzana del Turgnano; the wide countryside around Carlino; the rationalist and industrial architecture of Torviscosa; and the noble Roman remains of Aquileia, before returning to the lagoon and entering Grado via the long bridge that connects it to the mainland.

Both San Giorgio di Nogaro and Cervignano del Friuli are served by stations on the Venice-Trieste railway line, where regional trains carry bicycles, and Latisana station is also within easy reach.

The starting point is the road bridge over the Tagliamento river, after leaving Bibione and the Veneto (km 0.0). Once on the Friuli Venezia Giulia side, ride down the wide ramp, take the first right, then left, and arrive at the swing bridge of the Bevazzana basin on the Litoranea Veneta canal (km 0.6). You are now faced with a decision: either ride a loop to visit Lignano Sabbiadoro (19 km) or head directly to Grado.

Lignano Sabbiadoro loop (19 km)

After crossing the swing bridge (km 0.0 of the loop), follow the fine segregated bike path next to the road, leading to Lignano Riviera. Ride along Viale delle Arti until the roundabout with Corso dei Continenti (km 3.3). Go straight, then at the next crossroads with Corso delle Nazioni follow the bike path on the right and immediately turn left on Viale dell’Industria to reach the waterfront road (km 4.0). From here, if you turn right and continue for approximately 2.3 km you reach the launch pier of the Tagliamento ferry, which offers a fast service to and from the Bibione lighthouse from the beginning of April to the end of September. The ferry carries up to 25 people and 25 bicycles. If you turn left, you can ride along the waterfront of the seaside resort, and at km 5.3, near the centre of Lignano Sabbiadoro, you can enjoy about 2.5 km through a majestic pine grove. At km 9.9, leave the waterfront and turn left into viale Italia, then after 400 m cross the old harbour bridge on the left, turn right immediately after, and ride up the fine elevated shared-use path overlooking the lagoon. When you leave the edge of the lagoon at km 14.7, continue straight on, then a short while after turn right into via San Giuliano. At the roundabout with viale Europa, take the frontage road on the other side of the avenue, keeping right, then at the next large roundabout, first follow the frontage road on the left onto via Tarvisio (km 16.9), then enter the roundabout to take the bike path on the further side of viale Lignano Sud, heading north-west. Go up and down the flyover of the avenue and cross again the Litoranea Veneta canal, then at km 18.7 the bike path makes a sharp hairpin turn and briefly doubles back, descending to pass under the avenue. It then turns left and, after about 20 metres, there is a forced right turn, which brings you back onto the main route to Grado along Via Rinascita (km 19.0).

Main route to Grado (70 km)

When you go back to the swing bridge of the Bevazzana basin on the Litoranea Veneta canal (km 0.6), do not continue on the bridge but take a left and ride along the canal, then at km 1.7 turn left into via Rinascita, where the loop route to Lignano described before ends after 100 m. A little further on, take a left into the bike path leading to Aprilia Marittima, a hamlet in the municipality of Latisana. At the crossroads at km 3.4, continue straight on viale dei Coralli, the long and winding thoroughfare until, just after changing name to via Capo Nord (km 5.2), you will spot the start of a dirt bike path on the left. This is the beginning of a pleasant path on the edge of the Marano lagoon, bordered by lush vegetation, which a little further on (km 11.7) reaches the embankment of the Stella river near its mouth, and continues upstream. At km 16.3, just after a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Snow, turn right on the SP56 provincial road and ride along it for a little while, until km 17.4, when you turn left into via Armentarezza, and after 500 m take a right into via dal Vieris Narda, which then becomes via Tavella Maggiore and ends up again on SP56 (km 20.4). You are now entering the village of Precenicco. In its central square, piazza Roma (km 21.2), turn right, ride up the cycle access ramp, and cross the pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Stella river. Now in the municipality of Palazzolo dello Stella, continue on via del Traghetto, take a left into via della Laguna, then right (km 22.4) into via Lamarutto, which becomes progressively narrower and more intriguing until it turns to a dirt path, running along the southern edge of  Bosco Baredi, a protected area of ancient lowland forests, in the municipality of Muzzana del Turgnano. After crossing the Cormor stream (km 26.1), you remain on a dirt path, now through cultivated farmland, until reaching the crossroads at km 29.3, where the surface becomes tarmac again. Take a right and at km 30.0 you will arrive at the junction with the 1km road leading to the centre of Marano Lagunare, an ancient fishing village and a historic outpost of the Serenissima, still bearing many traces of its past, such as a local dialect with clear Venetian roots. However, our route takes a left on SP3 (via Marano, then strada Colomba), past the Bosco Sacile forest, along via Aquileia and into the village of Carlino (km 35.4). From the main square of the village, continue on the right, always on SP3, until km 36.6, when you turn left into via San Giorgio di Nogaro, then (km 37.5) right into via Pralungo, entering San Giorgio di Nogaro. At the crossroads with via Marittima (km 39.5), turn left to head to the train station, less than 1 km away; however, our route turns right, continues straight after the signalised crossing with SP80 on via Annia for 150 m, then turns left into via Giulia, and right after 400 m into via Famula. After approximately 1.5 km, just across a small bridge (km 42.0), turn left into the unsurfaced via Zumello, in a pleasant farmland setting, then at the crossroads in the hamlet of Malisana take the segregated bike path on the left, leading to Torviscosa. This small town developed alongside the large SNIA Viscosa industrial complex in the Fascist era, a fact clearly reflected by the rationalist architecture of several buildings. At the crossroads with via dei Platani (km 45.9), follow the bike path on the left, which continues past the football stadium, until the mixed-use railway underpass (km 46.9). After the underpass, continue on the north side of the railway line for approximately 2 km, heading east on the quiet road running alongside the tracks. At the roundabout with the SS14 State Road (km 49.2), the bike path continues for a short distance, then ends and merges into the road, which crosses the railway and a regional road on a long flyover. At the bottom of the flyover, another section of bike path starts across the roundabout (km 50.9) but ends after 400 m on SS14; however, after some 80 m, just after a low shop building, you will spot a path on the right, leading to via Leonardo da Vinci and into the small town of Cervignano del Friuli. After 150 m, turn left into via Enrico Fermi, which after 300 m merges into via Udine near the town centre (SR352). Turn right for the town centre; turn left at the signalised crossing (km 52.6) into via Roma for the train station, less than 1 km away. If you keep going straight, after approximately 350 m you will find the segregated bike path on the left, virtually following the old Cervignano-Belvedere railway, which after about 12 km leads to the start of the bridge over the lagoon, and to our final destination, Grado. After crossing Terzo d’Aquileia (km 55.4), the bike path crosses the ancient Roman city of Aquileia and goes past the archaeological site and behind the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta (km 59.1); the entrance of the bridge across the lagoon is just after the junction for Belvedere (km 63.8). You are now leaving Friuli (province of Udine) and entering Venezia Giulia (province of Gorizia). Thus, after a spectacular 4 km protected path through the lagoon, you will arrive at km 69.5 at the roundabout marking the entrance to Grado, a landmark destination of our Adriatic journey, and a major gateway for the steadily increasing flow of cyclists from Salzburg and Tarvisio travelling on the Alpe Adria cycleway. For travellers who wish to continue their journey along the Venezia Giulia Adriatic coast, the cycleway, signposted FVG2, continues from Grado towards Monfalcone and Trieste.