There are 117 islands in the Venice Lagoon. Only about 32 are inhabited and we’d only been to five. So when Tim asked what I wanted to do this weekend, I thought we’d stay a little closer to home and visit the island of Chioggia in the Venetian Lagoon.
Chioggia is often called Little Venice because of its picturesque canals and its slower pace of life. Corso del Popolo is the main street and runs from one end of the island to the other. The Corso is the heart of the historic center, with shops, cafes and restaurants lining the street. Piazzetta Vigo is at the very end of Corso del Popolo; its a lovely open square with gelato shops, souvenir shops, the Grande Hotel Italia, and a vaporetto to Piazza San Marco in Venice.
From Piazzetta Vigo, walk over the white marble bridge and cross the Vena Canal to Chiesa di San Domenico. The church is on its very own island and contains one of Chioggia’s greatest treasures: Vittore Carpaccio’s St. Paul, his last recorded painting. There are also works by Tintoretto and Bassano, and a venerated wooden crucifix (“the oldest in the world” the sacristan informed me with pride). Through a grille in the church you can see a collection of local ex-voto images.
Continuing on, we came upon the Fish Market, which is open daily until noon. Since Chioggia is a fishing village, it’s no wonder that the fish market has an extensive variety. Many restaurants serve fantastic fresh seafood meals for less than you’d pay in Venice. We chose to eat at Al Porto on Riva Canal Lombardo. I had the spaghetti with clams and we shared calamari fritti and fried mixed fish. I also recommend the house white wine!
The Duomo, or cathedral, is at the opposite end of Corso del Popolo from Piazzetta Vigo. It became a cathedral in 1110 but was rebuilt in 1623. The cathedral has a marble pulpit with gold canopy and a decorated 17th century altar. There’s a nice 19th century stained glass window. Outside the Duomo stands its tall fourteenth-century campanile, which is older than the present incarnation of the main church.
There is also a Clock Tower and Clock Tower Museum, which can be visited on Sundays and holidays.
Getting There
There’s a summer vaporetto that runs between Chioggia and St. Mark’s Square in Venice from early June until late September. The rest of the year, it’s possible to make the trip by taking a vaporetto to Lido, then transferring to bus number 11, and finally catching the passenger ferry from Pellestrina to Chioggia.The journey takes around 2 hours.
Alternatively, there is also an ACTV bus from Venice to Chioggia and Sottomarina. This service, the 80E, leaves from Piazzale Roma every half-hour, and the drive to Chioggia takes around an hour.
If you are staying in Chioggia and wish to visit Venice, there is a direct boat service, the Linea Clodia, which leaves every morning at 9.05am and returns in the evening, leaving Venice at 5pm. Check the latest times as these are subject to change.
Jennifer Dombrowski
Jennifer Dombrowski is a location independent globe trotter and bases herself in Prata di Pordenone, Italy. She works as a social media and innovation strategist in higher education and is a regular contributor on johnnyjet.com. Her website, jdombstravels.com, is the 2012 Destinology Travel Bloggy Best Newcomer award winner. Google+
Follow Me:
We’re Jennifer and Tim and We love adventure and we love wine, so we often try to combine the two! By day, you’ll find us out on some crazy adventure like snorkeling in Iceland in winter, but by night, we’re creatures of comfort. We both work full time, so we bring you practical tips for how anyone can fit travel into their busy lives – just like us! So far, we've visited 43 countries, lived in the United States and Italy, and Tim has lived in Korea. And we do it all while both holding down full time jobs. 
Greece 
Italy 
Russia 
United Kingdom 
Thailand 
13 comments
Skip to comment form ↓
douban
February 3, 2012 at 8:46 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say great blog!
[Reply]
Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
February 5th, 2012 at 11:45 am
Thank you very much for your kind words and for visiting our website!
[Reply]
Andrea Hassen
February 6, 2012 at 3:52 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I greatly appreciate this post. Please create more tutorials.
[Reply]
Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
February 6th, 2012 at 11:44 am
Hi Andrea! Thank you for taking a few moments to leave us some feedback! You can look forward to more posts like this one. Please subscribe to our feed and follow us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/jdombstravels
[Reply]
Betsey Pillot
February 10, 2012 at 12:12 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I’m curious to find out what blog system you’re working with? I’m having some small security problems with my latest blog and I’d like to find something more risk-free. Do you have any solutions?
[Reply]
Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
February 10th, 2012 at 12:19 am
Hi Betsey! My website is powered by WordPress, which has built in security features. If you have your own domain, you might like to check into WordPress. You can also get a free blog through WordPress as well.
[Reply]
Gary
February 14, 2012 at 2:11 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I always pay a visit to your blog and retrieve everything you post here but I never commented but today when I saw this post, I couldn’t stop myself from commenting here. Great article mate!
[Reply]
Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
February 16th, 2012 at 11:29 am
Thank you very much, Gary! You might like to join us on our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/jdombstravels
[Reply]
Alease Cosby
February 20, 2012 at 12:23 pm (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I’ve recently began a weblog, the knowledge you provide on this website has helped me tremendously. Thank you for your whole time & work.
[Reply]
Sonic 4 apk download
February 21, 2012 at 8:24 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of Little Venice: Chioggia » Jdomb's Travels . Thanks for the post. I’ll certainly return.
[Reply]
John
March 5, 2012 at 7:29 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Good information. Lucky me I came across your blog by chance (stumbleupon). I have book marked it for later!
[Reply]
Jennifer Dombrowski Reply:
March 14th, 2012 at 12:25 am
Thanks, John! Feel free to subscribe to our RSS feed and like us on Facebook!
[Reply]
Rubin Hem
April 6, 2012 at 1:34 am (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Posting is very delightful and also amazing, I like your style of these items for me is too beneficial.
[Reply]