Sant’Erasmo is an island with a very long tradition for agriculture and fishing. This island marked the border between the lagoon and the sea till the end of the XIX Century, when the breakwater were built changing the shape of the waterfront completely.
As proof of its splitter function , it is still possible to see on the isalnd the old typical stones signing the border called “cippi di conterminazione”. Durign the XIX Century here it was also bult the Massimiliana Tower in the island of Sant’Erasmo.
Leaving the island behind and proceeding with the tour, it is possible to coast around the island of San Francesco del Deserto to admire its tall cypresses. This island is still an active religious centre. On the way to Torcello, next stop of our tour, the Crevan island. The stop in Torcello allows us to visit the typical “barene”, a mudflats periodically submerged by the water, famous for their rich fauna, composed mostly by birds.
On the way back to the land it is finally possible to take a look at those islands that once represented the heart of the lagoon, among them we would like to mention Burano and Mazzorbo for their peculiarity and beauty, and Madonna del Monte and San Giacomo in Paludo, on which there are still ruins of the old churches and monasteries.
