The first time I heard about Bibione as a tourist destination it was during my travel in Czech Republic a few years ago. I used to ask ‘have you ever been to Italy?’, and often people would answer me ‘yes, in Bibione’. They would talk me about this small town on the Adriatic Sea, as a fantastic place for beach tourism.
I got to know this place personally during #bibione5aquae, a blog tour organized by MM One Group and the local hotelier association.
The tour’s program aimed to get to know Bibione not just for the sea and the beach, but also for its inland and its excellent natural environment. The fil rouge of our experience has been the water, am essential and precious good.
Bibione is presented as the town with five waters: the river Tagliamento, the thermal baths, the sea, the lagoon and the streams.
The Water of the Sea
It’s the kind of water that entertains us with funny days under the sun. Adriatic Sea means sand, beaches, 70s style buildings, night walks, facilities for young people, families and kids.
Bibione is certainly all of this and even more. Bike routes, gardens, sport, pine woods, swimming pools facing the sea, hotels for international guests, a wide beach, shops. Everything feels welcoming, and at the same time it doesn’t fail to cultivate a health relationship with nature.
The beach is smoke-free and pet-friendly. Emas and Bandiera Blu certifications confirm Bibione’s eco-friendly soul. The aim isn’t mass tourism, but transparent communication, networking among authorities and companies, hospitality and care for the environment.
The Water of Lagoon and Streams
It’s the hidden water of reclaimed lands. I have to admit I love lagoons, and a few months after I discovered the Venetian lagoon, discovering this part of Bibione has been really exciting.
On a fishing boat I strolled over the streams along the coastal line, an ancient commercial route linking the north-eastern Italian regions Friuli and Veneto, today a natural oasis inhabited by many animal and plant species and by several fish breeding farms.
Experiencing the lagoon is an unforgettable feeling, it means diving into a parallel universe, with bright colours and the quietness of nature. We crossed animals, cottages, fishermen in a frame of canes dancing with the wind.
The Water of Thermal Baths
The thermal baths’ water is a precious gift. The centre, in the middle of Bibione, offers the best in beauty and wellness. The baths are renown for their efficiency and modernity, and their guests come from all over the world, as it often happens for tourism in Bibione. I spent a few hours both in the internal and in the external pools (the latter face the nearby beach). There are also relax areas and shops selling thermal products.
The Water of the River
It’s the water sustaining our society, the one which allows us to live. After a stressful day, I took a bike and in about 30 minutes of bike routes and pine woods I reached the recently renovated lighthouse close to the river’s mouth. Biking on this path I had the feeling of entering a new Bibione.
Arriving at the lighthouse the woods gets more and more wild, and only the footsteps on the beach remember the visitor he is still in a civilized area. There is only the sea, the landscape and amber sand. You can stop for a break to gaze at the nature, the sea, listen to their voice with nobody else in sight.
Bibione, its water, its land, are showcased in a multimedia fashion at Expo Venice, a fair with several events parallel to EXPO Milan. Here, in an interactive way, the visitor gets to know these places, finds workshops and experiences a virtual dive in the depth of the sea.
Open until October, the visitors will feel how it is to live in a world of water, they will discover Bibione through a screen and travel with the imagination through its waters, its waterfront, its accommodation facilities and the charm of the lagoon.
