Discover what to do in Fossalta di Piave: the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the path along the Piave, the river park, the yellow house of Ernest Hemingway. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Fossalta di Piave?
The municipality of Fossalta di Piave borders to the northeast with Noventa di Piave, to the northwest with Zenson di Piave, to the southeast with Musile di Piave, to the southwest with Meolo, to the east with San Donà di Piave, to the west with Monastier di Treviso and Meolo.
Bicycle tour in Fossalta di Piave
Departure
The recommended cycling route starts from the herringbone parking lot on Via della Conciliazione along the southwest side of the parish of Fossalta di Piave.
Leave the parking lot adorned by five well-kept holm oaks and head towards the vast cobblestone surface from which rises the gleaming mass of the parish church of the municipality.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin stands out for its solemn façade, where four massive pilasters support the entablature. However, it is not the triangular tympanum that completes the vertical development of the monumental structure.
The architrave and pediment are in fact inserted within an imposing quadrangular front, both powerful and elegant.
The grand structure is softened by the dentil motif that adorns the classic pediment, the ample volutes of the Ionic capitals, the statues of two saints placed in two semicircular niches, and the large arch that surmounts the massive wooden door.
A further element of architectural significance is the square-based bell tower, characterized by a red brick shaft rhythmically punctuated by lesenes and a belfry marked by white columns and Ionic pilasters. The soaring structure culminates in a shiny metal spire resting on a drum pierced by quadrangular openings.
The river park of Fossalta
Leave the church façade on your right, enter the roundabout and take the second exit. After about 60 meters, turn right onto Via Ragazzi del ’99. Walk along the arcaded street where you will find bakeries, pastry shops, and the historic Caramel brewery, which still bears the old sign of the Rialto tavern on its façade. Continue along Via Ragazzi del ’99 until you reach the Baptistery of Peace, built in honor of the young soldiers who sacrificed themselves during World War I, to whom the street is dedicated.
Reach the monument, turn right onto Via Gonfo and proceed for 160 meters, then turn left and descend the short path that leads to the boat landing near a large black poplar. From this point you can enjoy a charming view of the Piave and the lush wooded area of poplars, acacias, elms, and willows lapped by its waters.
After admiring the placid course of the river sacred to the homeland, take the path on your right that plunges into the flourishing tree vegetation.
Continue along the serene itinerary until you reach the vast area of the Fossalta river park, a spectacular green lung and treasure chest of a complex mosaic of plant, floral, and faunal biodiversity. Once the visit is over, return to Via Gonfo (45.64408634742267, 12.52637098262831) and proceed northeast along the shady path straddling the radiant rural landscape of the Venetian hinterland and the serpentine bends of the Piave course.
Pass a lively patch of acacias (45.64046024974964, 12.530830090094524), continue along the embankment to the intersection with Via Treviso (45.6391775954101, 12.526702714815913). At the intersection, turn right and proceed along Via Treviso for 700 meters, then rejoin Via Gonfo and continue for 1 km.
At the intersection (45.64976105137612, 12.514964900124436) keep right and continue on Via G. Garibaldi for about 200 meters, then take the dirt road on your right opposite a large poster with a black-and-white photo of Ernest Hemingway.
After about 300 meters, the tree-lined path leads to a pleasant garden from which rises a two-story brick house with shutters painted in sky blue.
Unfortunately, information regarding the relationship between the American writer and the charming dwelling framed by the embankment and the river forest is scarce. At this point, it is advisable to return to Via G. Garibaldi via a short dirt slope passing behind the house.
Continue on Via G. Garibaldi for 1.3 km along the embankment, from whose privileged position you can admire the vast expanses of cultivated fields bordered by tall hedges and the bell tower of the Church of San Mauro Martire towering in the distance beyond the river.
Refreshment at Piazza Giacomo Matteotti and Piazza Vittoria
Reach the fork with Via Cristoforo Colombo (45.66068874188093, 12.519321003365118), keep left and proceed along Via delle Carbonere for 1 km. At the intersection, turn right and return to the Baptistery of the Fallen via Via G. Garibaldi. Once at the baptistery, turn onto Via Ragazzi del ’99 to return to Piazza Giacomo Matteotti and Piazza Vittoria, where you will find several bars, taverns, and restaurants.
A journey between history and culture in Fossalta di Piave
If you are wondering what to do in Fossalta di Piave and wish to immerse yourself in a fascinating dimension where nature, history and culture intertwine harmoniously within a journey aimed at exploring some of the most significant moments of World War I, of which this now peaceful and lush territory still bears an indelible imprint, a visit to this splendid Venetian municipality will be a memorable and moving experience.
