Grado

 September 20, 2019

Traveling to Grado was an adventure in itself. It is located on an island and adjacent peninsula of the Adriatic Sea, between Venice and Trieste. Grado is a well-known but inexpensive resort town, frequented by Italians, Germans and Austrians during the summer and early fall. I was there at the end of the season, when the town was on the verge of shutting down. From Bologna, I caught the train north to Mestre, then changed trains to head east, towards Trieste. Once I arrived in Cervignano, the transit station for my destination, I learned there was only one bus that day going to Grado, some 16 km away. Fortunately, the bus arrived ten minutes later, otherwise I'd have had to hire an expensive taxi. 

Once in Grado, I tracked down a map and hopped a city bus that dropped me near my hotel, not far from the beach. I checked in, stashed my luggage, and headed out to the beach. Many of the stabilmenti (beach establishments that rent out lettini (sunning beds) and umbrelloni (large beach umbrellas) were already closed or in the process of closing. As a result, there was plenty of free beach available. 

Marina Terme was also near the hotel, with indoor thermal pools to swim or relax in, but I was more interested in staying outdoors by the sea. Walking along the beach for more than a mile, I found my way to the old town center and had a wonderful lunch of grilled calamari and vegetables. Most of the tourists that week were Austrian or German (and their dogs). The waitress assumed I was one of them, handing me the German menu, until I requested one in Italian. Later, I noticed several inviting bike paths, and when I returned to the hotel was pleased to learn that I could borrow a bike from the proprietor during my stay for free.

The next morning I woke up to the sound of music in the street below my hotel room, and looked out the balcony to find the weekly mercato (street market) taking place, with dozens of white tents where vendors were selling a variety of goods, from fresh fruits and vegetables, breads and cheeses, to leather goods, jewelry and sweaters. After perusing the market and buying some food for lunch, I wandered away from the old town center to find stores where the Gradesi shop. In particular, I located a coffee bar where the locals tend to congregate, featuring great coffee and pastries, which became my "go to" hangout for the rest of my stay. Later, I went to the beach, walked around in the too-cold-to-swim sea, then napped a bit while lying on the sand until a noisy bilingual family woke me with their boisterous chatter. 

One of the highlights of visiting Grado's town center was happening upon a choral group from Rovereto who had traveled to Grado that weekend to visit its churches, and spontaneously sang a hymn within the empty shell of the Basilica Santa Maria delle Grazie.

The deconsecrated church stands in the shadow of the main cathedral in Grado, the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia. Both churches had interesting mosaic floors and histories dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries. 

In the following days, the loaned bike became my trusty companion as I explored the lagoon and forested outskirts of Grado, rode along the beach, and viewed kite surfers while bagnini (lifeguards) continued to free the beaches from the usual display of beach furniture.

My final days in Grado were marked by rain, while the town emptied of tourists and more businesses closed down for the season. I was ready to move to my next destination, Trieste.