Stella Estuary Nature Reserve
Address
Palazzolo dello Stella
GPS
45.736095741475, 13.103277683258
Level of difficulty 3 | Gastronomy 1 | Length 8,4 km | Time 2.5 - 3.5 hours
The Foci dello Stella Nature Reserve is particularly easy to reach by SUP and can be explored in peace and quiet, away from heavy boat traffic. Rustic casoni, panoramic views of Lignano and the romantic lagoon complete this nature experience.
General information
Navigation rules
The first half of the tour goes through the Foci dello Stella Nature Reserve, where you understandably have to be extremely careful with nature. Please only touch on the reeds along the waterways, do not get off the SUP and go exploring away from them! Avoid littering along the entire tour - better still: take any rubbish you find with you!
The waterway into the centre of the reed landscape is navigable, but a prohibition sign indicates that paddling is not permitted there.
The second half of the tour takes you across the northernmost lagoon of the Adriatic, where you should avoid entering the salt marshes. They are not protected, but it doesn't do any harm to leave these habitats to the animals and plants.
Throughout the entire tour, please bypass other water sports enthusiasts, boats and ships and give way to them.
Dangers and risks
The water access at the jetty of the Bilancia di Bepi has a height difference of about half a meter. However, for safety reasons, you can use a small ladder.
As expected, there is a lot of boat and ship traffic along the marked fairway in front of Marano Lagunare. Strong wakes have to be taken into account. Motorized watercraft also occasionally travel in the nature reserve, but significantly fewer than in the lagoon. In both cases, there is always enough space to bypass them.
At low tide, some areas can be too shallow, so you could get stuck underground. In general, you should keep a sufficient distance from the reeds and salt marshes.
There are of course no banks across the lagoon that paddlers could quickly head for if necessary. If a storm approaches, you can find shelter on the small islands, but only if there are huts (casoni) there.
Directions
Due to a lack of public transport, it is best to travel to the starting point of the tour by car. The road network is well developed, but the Bilancia di Bepi is quite isolated on the northern edge of the nature reserve. Especially from the nearby town of Lignano (8 km as the crow flies) in the south the distance is tripled due to the unfavorable road layout.
Aus der Provinzhauptstadt Udine sowie aus dem östlich gelegenen Monfalcone fährt man etwa 50 min, aus dem venezianischen Portogruaro. dauert die Anfahrt lediglich 35 min.
National and international bus, train and flight connections can be found via the comparison portals Omio, Busbud as well as RailEurope. Those arriving by plane have several options, as the nearest airports are in Venice, Treviso and Trieste.
Parking
There is enough space for cars in front of the Bilancia di Bepi, but paddlers should ask in advance whether they can park there for the duration of the tour. You could plan to eat there before or after the tour because they serve wonderful fish dishes made from the fresh catch of the day.
The landing in Marano Lagunare is right on the beach (Spiaggia San Vito) in front of a free parking lot. There is usually enough space there too.
Swimming
Along the Stella the water is still mostly freshwater. Only in the last big river bend in front of the casoni the salinity increases noticeably. Of course you can go into the water anywhere along this tour and have a swim or just splash around, but it is not a classic bathing area. In any case, you should stay close to the shore or the reeds to be protected from possible boat traffic.
Otherwise, the only spots left for swimming in officially approved places are the Marano Lagoon on selected beaches and the beaches around the seaside resorts of Lignano and Bibione.
The water temperatures in the Stella are well below 20° C, but as the tour progresses, its water mixes more and more with the water of the lagoon. It is of course much warmer in summer, especially since temperatures of up to 29° C are measured on the nearby beaches of Marano Lagunare and Lignano.
Tour
From the Bilancia di Bepi follow the river Stella to the casoni and from there turn left, paddling to Marano Lagunare in a straight line.
Length
8.4
Time
2.5 -3.5 hours
Start and landing
Start at the Bilancia di Bepi.
Land along the narrow beach at the canal leading to Marano Lagunare.
SUP rental
None
Lagoon SUPing between casoni and salt marshes
After we were able to get to know the adventurous and varied middle course of the Fiume Stella yesterday, today we are devoting ourselves to its mouth in the Marano Lagoon. We start the tour at the Bilancia di Bepi, an outdoor location under palm trees with a food truck and delicious fish dishes. It is the perfect spot for paddling and enjoying culinary delights.
It doesn't get any fresher than this, as the owner Daniele, who is already running this place in third generation, catches the fish from the river several times a day in front of his customers using a 25 x 25 m fishing net (bilancia). His grandparents are said to have supplied Ernest Hemingway with fish and wine here. Where in the world are there no Hemingway anecdotes?
Before we indulge in these Friulian delights, we need to burn a few calories, so we start by pumping up our SUPs on the lawn in front of the Bilancia. If you ask nicely, you can park here for the duration of the tour and climb straight into the almost still river from the wooden pier. If the Bilancia is closed, you can choose an entry point to the right of it at the end of the footpath leading over the wall.
Since canoe tours are also offered here, it gets a bit crowded at the start because a group of canoeists is setting off at the same time as us. But as soon as we stand on the river we are alone and make our first paddle strokes in the fresh water along the reed belt. I have flashbacks to my spontaneous trip to Italy four years ago, when I was able to SUP through the nearby lagoon for the first time while circumnavigating Lignano. It already warms my heart when I think about today’s natural highlights ahead.
The Foci dello Stella Nature Reserve can only be reached by water and was created in 1996. This maritime microcosm is home to countless animal and plant species. For example, trained eyes will immediately notice the red, grey and great egrets as well as various reed plants. Paddling through this intricate network of water is not only relaxing, but also a lively biology lesson.
However, you should be prepared to use your paddling pole actively, because unlike in the upper and middle reaches of the river, there is no noticeable current in the Stella Delta. The only pace we paddle here, however, is slow motion. In this mode, we only hear the seagulls above us and the gently rustling reeds next to us.
The tour plan calls for paddling the entire river loop down into the lagoon, which is why we don't take the first turn to the right at the next opportunity. The longer route, which meanders slightly to the southern end of the nature reserve, culminates in what appears to be a Gallic village of straw-covered huts - the so-called casoni. Before we get there, however, we would like to explore the inner workings of the reed carpet, which is accessible via a capillary-like network of narrow waterways.
After 1.5 km we reach a passage about three meters narrow, which leads deep into the world of reeds on the right, at the end of which there is a ring-shaped water formation. There you can find a reed island within the reed island, so to speak, with a southerly view of the hotel and apartment towers of Lignano Sabbiadoro. Unfortunately, there is a prohibition sign in the water in front of the narrow waterway, which restricts access only to authorized people. Since we are obviously not authorized to enter, we paddle further east, somewhat disappointed.
From above, the final turns of the Stella look like a human colon winding through the nature reserve. The brackish water is slowly becoming saltier and we are only separated from the lagoon on the port side by a thin strip of vegetation. The temptation is great to turn left now and enter the open water.
But we prefer to let the intestinal-forming Stella guide us to its exit, which, in contrast to its bodily counterpart, appears much more pleasant and inviting. After all, there are countless cute fishermen's huts with straw roofs here - also called casoni - some of which are used privately and some commercially. These casoni are a peculiarity of the northern Italian Riviera and can be found everywhere in the local lagoons.
Like the nature reserve, they are only accessible by watercraft, which makes them an ideal retreat. We drift out onto the lagoon and keep sharply to the left, as the clearly visible Torre Millenaria of Marano (5 km as the crow flies) is our orientation point. A little further away and to the right of it we see the not so pretty industrial facilities of the Zona Industriale Aussa Corno (10 km ahead). The holiday hotspot Lignano stretches across the southern horizon, and in between there are endless expanses full of water and SUP options.
Contrary to expectations, the water is deep enough even away from the ship and boat routes, which allows us a smooth ride to the small island Isola dei Bioni. We paddle towards it at a leisurely pace and watch in fascination how quickly long fish whizz past beneath our SUPs. Again and again we pass salt marshes with fishing nets set up, get off our boards several times, collect cockles and wade playfully through the soft clay bottom of the warm lagoon water. After all, relaxing the feet also relaxes the mind.
Of course, there is always a little seaweed on the water, but hardly anything gets stuck on the fins. That's a good thing, because we don't want to slow down too much. The view of Marano Lagunare is not particularly good, because we can't really see from the distance where the reeds are, or where exactly the passage to the town might be. So we instinctively paddle straight past the island of Bioni and keep an eye out for the motorboats and passenger ships.
The closer we get to their route, the stronger the swell becomes - an entertaining up and down that carries us like a sedan chair. Now and then, some of the wakes are easy to surf, and our intuition shows us the way into the small town. With a barely noticeable southeast wind, we ride into the southern channel of Marano Lagunare.
In front of us people are splashing in the water, while speedy boats are passing by just a few meters away. On the left bank there is the beach Spiaggia San Vito, which is flanked by a free parking lot. An ideal spot for landing and parking a shuttled car. It is also a wonderful place to end this relaxed SUP tour.
From here it is just a short walk of 700 m into the town, where we can highly recommend the Trattoria alla Laguna to fish lovers. Finally, we drive back to the starting point to get the other car and to treat ourselves to a royal fish meal at the Bilancia di Bepi. Buon appetito!
Alternatives: This tour can also be done as a round trip, but you should then check the tides in advance and paddle at the appropriate times to avoid running into sand, depending on the route.
However, you can also paddle a circular course just in the area of the Foci dello Stella, which will then be about 7 km long.
It is also possible to leave the nature reserve and cross the lagoon to the south. The destinations would then be the Tagliamento River or Lignano.
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