Address

Brussa Beach

GPS

45.63981196754, 12.946773147583

Address

Brussa Beach

GPS

45.63981196754, 12.946773147583

Level of difficulty 4 paddles |  Gastronomy 1 pitcher |  Length 16 km |  Time 4 - 5 hours

The Vallevecchia nature reserve is (still) a real insider tip for all those who want to get away from the usual tourist infrastructure. The great mix of hinterland canals and sea makes the SUP heart beat faster and offers varied hours on the board.

Navigation rules

You will rarely see paddlers in the canals, and swimmers are almost non-existent. Not so with motorized watercrafts of all types - they navigate here in great numbers. Therefore, if there is an audible engine noise do not paddle in the middle of the canals but at their edges.
Along the beach, of course, bathers have priority and because of the shallow water they can enjoy the water quite far out.

Dangers and risks

Immediately after the start towards the left there is a small harbor on the right bank of the canal with quite rocky, shallow water for several hundred meters. If you overlook this, you can cause the paddle blade to hit the rocks beneath the surface of the water quite hard. It's better to paddle in the middle.

In the lagoon of Bibione you shoud only stay in the marked fairway, as the boards can sometimes touch down on clay and rocks. Also pay attention to the increased motorized traffic and stay on the side of the fairway!

Along the beach in the direction of Caorle there are many comb jellyfish in the water. Although these are harmless to humans, they could very well be frightening if you don't know this.

The western tip of the Spiaggia Burssa is extremely shallow and spacious. Enter the Canale Canadare in a large arc to the left.  

Directions

You can only get to the starting point of this SUP tour from the north. Like many other holiday destinations in this area, there is only one access road from the north down to the sea. Of course, the most flexible way is by car. Despite the relative isolation of the Restaurant Mazarack you can easily get here by bus, but there are a lot of stops along the way and you have to walk the last 600 m.

The nearest train station is in Portogruaro. From there continue by bus, the bus stop is about 200 m from the train station.

The nearest airports are in Trieste, Treviso and Venice. Of coure, public transport from abroad can be found especially during the summer season.

Parking

At the restaurant Mazarack there are enough free parking spaces, also for camping vehicles.

There is also a paid parking lot with several showers and toilets at the end of what feels like an eternally long Strada Provinciale Portogruaro Brussa. Simply continue at the Mazarack restaurant over the bridge to the end of the road.

Swimming

At the end of the Strada Provinciale Portogruaro Brussa you reach the nature reserve Vallevecchia, which also includes the natural Brussa Beach (Spiaggia Brussa). The entire beach is 5.5 km long and offers optimal bathing conditions with a shallow water entrance and enough free berths. During the week you are almost alone here. On weekends, however, it is mainly the locals who are drawn to this beach, which is hardly known to tourists.

In mid-summer the water temperature is up to 28° C, with highs of around 22° C possible even in October.

Worth seeing

North of the nature reserve lies the small town of Portogruaro, which boasts an enchanting inner city. The Venetian Gothic of the old town is almost completely preserved and offers a lot of buildings worth seeing, for example the town hall and the crooked campanile.

There is also a lot of history to see in the more than 2000 years old town called Caorle adjacent to the nature reserve. In addition to the imposing church buildings, there is also plenty to explore in the old town with its countless alleys and squares.

Extra tip

The beach is also popular among nudists. Due to the spacious area, everyone is guaranteed to find a quiet place.

You can get great Italian wines directly from the grower at Winery Lorenzonetto Cav. Guido in Latisana. Together with the Lorenzonetto family you can extensively taste all the wines on site and then load them straight into the car at very fair prices.

Anyone paddling down the lagoon of Bibione on their own by SUP or by kayak, can rent the appropriate paddling equipment and also recieve the right maps to find hidden restaurants along the way.

Tour

From the boat harbor turn left along the Canale Cavanella in the direction of Bibione. Along its port to the sea and right along the beach (Spiaggia Brussa) in the direction of Caorle. At the end of the Spiaggia Brussa, turn right into the Canale Canadare and follow it straight ahead back to the entrance at the restaurant Mazarack.

Length

16 km

Time

4 - 5 hours

Start and landing

Harbor at the Mazarack restaurant on the Strada Provinciale Portogruaro Brussa.

Overnight Stay

Agriturismo Al Canton
Via Malamocco 14, 30028 San Michele Al Tagliamento
Phone +39 347 7438386

Ca' Adami
Strada Parenzo 4, 30021 Brussa
Phone +39 339 8421404

Albergo Da Nino
Strada Brussa 340, Località Brussa, 30021 Caorle
Phone +39 (0)421 242211

B&B Orizzonte
Strada Brussa 409, 30021 Castello di Brussa
Phone +39 333 3213297

Residenza Caseare
Località Brussa, 30021 Caorle
Phone +39 421 211896

Gastronomy

Restaurant Mazarack
Strada Provinciale Portogruaro Brussa, Località Brussa, 30021 Caorle
Phone +39 421 84119

Ristorante Ai Gabbiani
Via Brussa 142, 30021 Caorle
Phone +39 421 84114

Surf Bar
Viale dei Cacciatori, 30021 Caorle
Phone +39 329 211 3520

Ristorante Da Nino
Strada Brussa 340, Località Brussa, 30021 Caorle
Phone +39 (0)421 242211

Trattoria dell'Asio
Strada Provinciale Portogruaro Brussa, Località Brussa, 30021 Caorle
Phone +39 (0)327 373 0261

Sunrise in the nature reserve

We start early in the morning, that's why at sunrise we already lift our SUPs from the car and leave the free parking lot by the Restaurant Mazarack in Brussa on the way to the adjacent small boat harbor. At the slipway under the bridge we can easily climb into the Canale Cavanella and begin our tour around the nature reserve Vallevecchia to the left. Between Caorle and Bibione and between the rivers Tagliamento, Livenza and Lemene, a 150-hectare nature reserve was created in the 1960s, which offers a safe haven to many rare birds and aquatic animals.

We are currently still alone on the still, smooth water and let ourselves be carried towards the morning sun by a light breeze. After a short while we reach a small harbor on the right bank of the Canale Cavanella. Be careful here, as there are rocks in the knee-deep water! They're clearly visible, but only if you're not looking forward expectantly while paddling like we did. To protect the paddle, it is advisable to paddle this section in the middle of the canal.

As we see the harbor of Bibione Pineda on the horizon in the lagoon of the Bibione in front of us, the position of the sun is already high and the bay is much more frequented than the canal we are just leaving.

In the lagoon, however, one must not allow oneself to be tempted to take the shortest route to the sea, which would cut to the right. Instead use the marked fairway in the direction of the port. If you don't do that, you'll soon be standing in the mud with your paddle and fin and having to wade back into deeper water on foot.

Imposing yachts and motor boats pass us as we curve from Bibione's harbor to the beach of Vallevecchia (Spiaggia Brussa). Many fishermen line our path along the campsite and we take care to avoid the lines. Here we also have a nice encounter with a local couple who had lost their swimmer.

They don't understand us, we only speak a little Italian, but somehow it becomes clear that we should please paddle to the escaped swimmer and bring it back to the shore. We paddel over there, grab the orange glowing thing and give it back to the fishermen. The good deed of the day is done and we continue in the direction of Spiaggia Brussa, which opens up infront of us less than 300 m opposite the foothills of Bibione Pineda.

Going left around the bay you would reach Bibione, a popular bathing resort in the region. So we turn right onto the almost empty beach of the nature reserve.

Spiaggia Brussa is still an insider tip, which is mainly visited by locals, but it is also quite crowded here at the weekend. Except for a few viewing stations for lifeguards, there is no infrastructure on the beach. Behind the trees, at the end of the Strada Provinciale Portogruaro Brussa, there is a large parking lot (Parcheggio Vallevechia). From there you walk about 350 m to the beach. At the parking lot there are also very rudimentary sanitary facilities and a food truck with drinks and small dishes (burgers, panini, ice cream).

We can hardly believe our eyes as a group of horsemen gallop along the beach on their steeds. Well, the beach may seem pretty empty, but it still shows us many faces. At its eastern end, slightly shifted into the sea, there is a clearly visible sandbank. Gulls and other seabirds usually gather here in the morning, followed later by bathers who enjoy lying in the shallow water and letting the waves wash over them. We take the opportunity and relax a bit in the warm water before the second half of the round trip is due.

The silhouette of Caorle already appears blurred far in front of us on the horizon (see Circuit of Caorle) and thus forms the end of the seemingly endless beach of Vallevecchia (the Spiaggia Brussa).

Luckily for us, the wind and waves are pushing in our direction of travel and a gentle downwinder carries us parallel to the beach up towards Caorle. Of course, the paddling frequency increases in order to catch the waves optimally, but thanks to the wind it is hardly more strenuous than a leisurely paddle stroke when there is no wind. At the end of the beach, just before Caorle, we recommend paddling around the bay into the canal entrance, because the water level is simply too low to go around in a direct line.

The advantage of this is that you can catch some steep sea waves at the canal entrance and be pushed nicely into the canal. Here the Canale Nicesolo from Caorle coming from the left and the Canale Canadare from Vallevecchia coming from the right meet. We have to take the latter to get back to the start of our tour.

The wind is shifting and a light breeze is blowing against us, which is completely okay, with an air temperature of almost 30° C in the morning. We slowly disappear back into the reed landscape at the back of the nature reserve. Except for a few fishermen and the occasional passing motorboat, nobody is here and we enjoy this freedom on the water.

After the midday sun approaches, a dip in the lukewarm water serves as a last break before we cover the last two kilometers.

You can't get lost here if you just paddle straight ahead until you reach the small port, which was our starting point.

A multifaceted tour is coming to an end and we will probably get out of the water before the midday heat. While the tour wasn't an ordeal, it was tiring enough to allow us to spend the rest of the day relaxing on the beach. Together we decide which beach to go to over lunch in the Trattoria dell’Asio. Spaghetti alle vongole and calamari fritti build us up again and start a cozy afternoon.

Alternative: If the circumnavigation is too long, the tour can also be shortened and started either on the right (west) or left (east) from the entrance, paddle around the nature reserve from the respective side and land at the Spiaggia Brussa at the beach access (from the Parcheggio Vallevecchia). From there, carry your board in hand and walk about 2.2 km up the Strada Provinciale Portogruaro Brussa to the starting point by the restaurant Mazarack. While that sounds far, it is a pleasant walk if the SUP is not too heavy to carry.

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