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Half day Nature Sea By boat

The Delta by boat: Volano, Gorino and the lighthouse of the Island of Love

The Torre della Finanza in Volano, the motor vessel from Gorino to the mouth of the Po di Goro and the lighthouse, Torre Palù on the canal.

The wildest side of the Delta, far from the beaches: reed beds, embankments and the Sacca di Goro, the clam lagoon. From Gorino a motor vessel sails down the Po di Goro to the sea and stops at the Isola dell'Amore, the Scanno di Goro, a sandy spit with a lighthouse.

Torre Palù, Goro
Photo: Biancamaria Rizzoli, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
  • Length from Lugo6 h 20 Long half day
  • Driving3 h 10 · 181 km there and back
  • Visits and stops3 h 10
  • When to goFrom spring to early autumn (boats run on a seasonal schedule)

Long half day: leave early or skip one visit.

The plan from Lugo

  1. Leave Lugo for Volano1 h 05 driving, 71 km
  2. Volano25 min of visits: Torre della Finanza di Volano
  3. Drive on to Gorino, the boat30 min driving, 23 km
  4. Gorino, the boat2 h 20 of visits: By motor vessel to the river mouth and the Island of Love
  5. Drive on to Torre Palù15 min driving, 10 km
  6. Torre Palù25 min of visits: Torre Palù
  7. Drive back to Lugo1 h 20 driving, 77 km
  8. Back in Lugo

Times are a guide: driving times are worked out without traffic, then come the visits and ten minutes at every stop to park. In summer towards the coast and at rush hour allow extra time.

What you will see

1Volano

Torre della Finanza di Volano 15 min

A square tower from the early eighteenth century, built where the Po di Volano reached the sea to control the boats and goods entering the Delta; in the twentieth century it became a Guardia di Finanza barracks. Back then it stood on the shore: since it was built the Delta has advanced and the sea has moved away.

Visible from outside; the interior opens from March to October on irregular days.

2Gorino, the boat

By motor vessel to the river mouth and the Island of Love 120 min

About two hours' sailing along the Po di Goro, through reed beds, herons and clam farms, to the river mouth. Stop ashore on the Isola dell'Amore, the Scanno di Goro: a sandy spit that once marked the border between the Republic of Venice and Romagna, with the Goro lighthouse, 22 metres high, and wild beach. Some trips also pass the Lanterna Vecchia, a nineteenth-century lighthouse that has become a bird observatory.

Several operators, seasonal departures at fixed times: book the boat first and build your trip around the timetable.

3Torre Palù

Torre Palù 15 min

A lock from 1751, by Giacomo Jacomelli, built entirely on the canal, unique of its kind: a brick tower with the keeper's house and Vincian gates to regulate the waters, named after Leonardo da Vinci. It was decommissioned in the late nineteenth century, when the coast moved away.

Always visible from outside, free.

Tips

  • Bring a hat, water and mosquito repellent: the sun beats down on the water in summer and mosquitoes arrive at sunset.
  • From Porto Garibaldi there's also a half-day mini-cruise with lunch on board towards the Sacca di Goro: it's an alternative without a car.

With your own car

Almost every old town has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with cameras: park outside and walk in. The fine reaches your home, abroad too. ZTL and car parks town by town

This trip with a driver

Romagna Transfer picks you up at your hotel, drops you in front of every stop and brings you back: no parking, no ZTL, and the wine is yours to enjoy.

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