Everyone wants to go to Venice – that’s why it gets so crowded. But if you’d like to experience the atmosphere of Venice without the crowds, try Chioggia. A miniature version of Venice, Chioggia (pronounced ‘Keyojia’) is a fishing port at the southern end of the Lagoon 16 miles south of Venice. You can get there the long way around by road (50 miles) or better, by vaporetto, and any trip is worth combining with a visit to the island of Pellestrina where the waterbus stops en route to or from Chioggia.

The main difference between Venice and Chioggia is that as well as canals, it has streets, but away from the busy Corso del Popolo main street which runs past the lovely old fish market, currently being restored, it is canals which dominate. They are lined with coloured houses along quiet alleyways known as calli, as in Venice.