Yes, you read the title right. These visit and post were not planned, but now here we are. Let me explain. I had a flight planned this morning which did not happen. When I arrived at the airport and was already at the entrance looking at the information board about the departures of the planes, I saw that my flight had been cancelled. I hoped that it was a mistake and I walked towards the check-in desk, but of course it was not a mistake.
I was told that the flight was indeed cancelled and rescheduled to the next day. I was offered a full-board room in a nearby hotel, to have an overnight and wait for my flight. And that is how I found myself in the little town of Quarto d'Altino.
Quarto d'Altino is a town about 12 km from Venice, in the Veneto Province of Italy. The town has an interesting name, the word Quarto in Italian means 'quarter'. I read on the internet that it got its name because it was a quarter of a mile away from the Roman town of Altinum.
I asked at the hotel reception what I could do in the town. The first option was that I could take the train to Venice, and the second was that I could explore the city centre, which is about a 20-minute walk from the hotel. As I have been to Venice several times and I am not a big fan of crowds, I decided to go for the second option. The receptionist kindly offered me a map of the town and I set off on my exploration.
On the way to the city centre, I hardly met a single person. I felt a bit lonely, while waling all the way along the railway line, which was the opposite of road traffic. There were trains coming and going along the line all the time.
The centre of the town was very pretty. Still not too crowded, but at least I wasn't alone in the city 😉.
In the city centre, there is also a city hall, surrounded by a cute town square.
The Church of San Michele Arcangelo was built in 1905, and the detached bell tower next to it was completed in 1956. Unfortunately for me, both the church and the bell tower were closed.
The bell tower is open to visitors and is said to offer a wonderful view of the town and the surrounding area, and of course to the Venetian lagoon. Its special feature is that you don't have to climb a single step to reach the top of the bell tower. The spiral staircase rises to the top. As a point of interest, the bell tower is only 2 metres shorter than the famous tower of Pisa, i.e. about 53 metres high.
After, I walked to the River Sila, which runs through the town. It was a feast for the eyes and a balm for the soul, as I briefly forgot how I ended up in this town. Take a look at the pictures and judge for yourself what you think of this green oasis.
I also noticed a water tower tank.
The city is also a popular destination for cyclists, who use the cycle paths for their recreational activities. I haven't researched where the paths lead, I assume not to the hills, as there are none here 🙃 From what I've seen, they are quite popular and frequented, as they probably offer long flat trails.
On the way back to the hotel, I made a quick stop at the train station, because my curiosity got the better of me and because it's right behind the hotel where I'm staying. From here, trains run to Venice every half an hour from 6am to midnight. Definitely a good starting point for exploring Venice and if you are not prepared to pay the higher prices of Venice hotels this is a very good option.
I’m back in hotel now and hardly waiting tomorrow morning, hoping that I will catch the flight tomorrow towards news places, I will have new stories to write in this wonderful community.
Thanks for reading,
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Best regards, 