Discover what to do in Quarto d’Altino: the bell tower of San Michele, the church of San Michele, the path along the Sile, the Trepalade Oasis and the Bosco de Le Crete.
Where is Quarto d’Altino?
The municipality of Quarto d’Altino borders to the north with Roncade, to the north-west with Casale sul Sile, to the north-east with Meolo and Musile di Piave, to the south with Venice, to the east with Musile di Piave, to the west with Casale sul Sile, Mogliano Veneto and Marcon.
Bike ride in Quarto d’Altino
The bell tower of San Michele Arcangelo
The recommended bike ride starts from the parking lot in front of the football field on Via Stazione. Continue along Via Stazione towards the towering mass of the bell tower of the parish of San Michele Arcangelo.
Rising in the heart of Altino, a short distance from the placid course of the Sile, the tall bell tower is marked by round-arched single-light windows whose regular succession follows the spiral development of the helical staircase that leads to the top of the structure.
The church of San Michele Arcangelo
From the top of the bell tower, you can enjoy a wide-ranging view of the urban and rural landscape of the municipality through splayed windows with white parapets.
A monument among the most representative of the city of Roman origin, despite its construction dating back only to the last century, the mighty red brick building stands alongside the church of San Michele Arcangelo, a majestic place of worship distinguished by a double-pitched façade tripartite by two pairs of Corinthian pilasters supporting the architrave and the triangular pediment.
Accessible through the massive wooden door framed by pilasters above which rise the architrave and the tympanum, the interior of the church features a single nave adorned with spectacular altars in polychrome marbles and refined paintings depicting the Patron Saint.
The cycle/pedestrian path along the Sile
After leaving the place of worship, turn left, enter the roundabout and take the second exit. Continue along Piazza San Michele for 210 meters until you reach the cycle/pedestrian path that runs along the banks of the winding Sile.
Take the cycling route that winds eastwards through the lush riparian vegetation that thrives along the riverbanks, among which stand out splendid specimens of plane trees, white poplars, birches, acacias, and ash trees.
The Trepalade Nature Oasis
After about 2.5 km, the path enters the wooded landscape of the Trepalade Nature Oasis, a nature reserve whose delicate ecosystem is the ideal habitat for amphibians, birds, and mammals that find refuge here from urbanization and the expansion of intensive agriculture.
Continue for 5.1 km along the path that goes into the river landscape of reeds and sedges and the vast cultivated fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, where ancient farmhouses can be glimpsed, then descend from the embankment and cross the pedestrian crossings (45°33’31.3″N 12°26’20.9″E), then continue along the Sile cycle path in the shade of the foliage of a row of lime trees.
Go under the underpass and continue until you reach a fork. Keep right and continue for 650 meters along the scenic route, then go under the provincial road and proceed until you reach the ancient river passage of Conca di Portegrandi.
The Bosco de Le Crete
Returning to the intersection on Via Trieste (45.55866071763713, 12.43917848285282), turn left and continue for 3.8 km along Via Trieste and Via G. Marconi. At the roundabout take the second exit and proceed for 2.2 km to the next roundabout, take the first exit and continue on Via Colombera for 300 meters. At the roundabout take the second exit and continue on Viale della Repubblica until you find on your left the access to the vast wooded area of the Bosco de Le Crete.
The forest is an ideal place for those seeking shelter from pollution and traffic noise and wanting to immerse themselves in a relaxing environment dotted with tall poplars, regal oaks, as well as birches, elms, and pedunculate oaks, just to name a few of the tree specimens that crown with their canopies the rich and lush undergrowth crossed by pleasant dirt paths.
Return to the starting point
After the visit, return to Viale della Repubblica (45.57111149267382, 12.355439243965604), proceed west for about 100 meters and turn onto Via I Maggio. Continue to the roundabout, take the first exit and continue on Via Giovanni Pascoli and Via Antonio Gramsci for 750 meters. At the intersection turn left and go along Via Stazione for about 650 meters to return to the starting point.
