Caorle, Italy

We are traveling in Europe in early autumn, and are driving from Munich, Germany to Venice, Italy. We are not due in Venice until tomorrow, so we decide to spend the day in Caorle, Italy, a small town on the Adriatic Sea about 50 miles north of Venice.

It is no longer tourist season in Caorle, so many hotels are closed. We drive along Via del Mare, hopeful, and after a short time we find Hotel Verona, a small but comfortable hotel overlooking the beach. The owner speaks only Italian and German, but that’s enough to allow us to rent a room for the night.

And here we are. 🙂

The beach at Caorle.

We unpack, put on warm clothes, and begin exploring. The beach is empty, but to our eyes, that makes it more alluring, pristine, romantic.

Not too distant is a church or chapel, and we head towards it.

Santuario della Madonna dell’Angelo.

It is the Santuario della Madonna del’Angelo and, sadly, it’s closed. Still, it’s a beautiful sunny day, and we are happy for the chance to walk and breathe the ocean air.

We stroll along the boardwalk and soon discover the boulders of the seawall are carved — and carved well!

Caorle rock carvings.

We didn’t know it, but Caorle is home to Scogliera Viva, an international art contest. “The International outdoor sculpture prize which sees direct interventions by international sculptors on the cliffs of the town of Caorle. The sculptures enhance the seafront promenade that becomes unique and offers an original and charming walk of art.“

What a marvelous surprise!

Two turtles.

Two sea turtles frolic in the ocean.

A woman and a horse’s head.

I believe that is a horse’s head the woman is petting. She appears to be sitting on the ground, so…where is the rest of the horse?

A seahorse.

A seahorse, or, more specifically, a leafy seadragon, floats in the current.

A mermaid.

A beautiful mermaid sleeps.

A man crawling over a ledge.

A man crawls over a ledge, reaching out to another.

A large book.

A large book, carved in stone. We can not decipher the writing.

A happy frog.

A happy frog rests on the stone.

A fish and a human skull.

A fish and a human skull half buried in the sand.

A Greek face.

The nose suggests a Greek face, as does the curly hair.

A Minoan fisherman.

A remarkable copy of the classic Minoan fisherman fresco.

A crab and a sad fish.

A content crab and a sad fish. I suspect a meal is imminent.

A dove sleeping.

This appears to be a sleeping dove, its bill nestled under its feathers.

She nose this is wrong…

There are almost 100 sculptures, each using the natural shape of the rock to accent the creation. We walk along the boardwalk, marveling at the works of art created by people with far more talent and abilities than we’ll ever have.

Caorle boardwalk in late afternoon.

But it’s getting late in the day, and we need a break.

Afternoon snack in Caorle.

We find the Sunrise Bar, which we are attracted to because it’s empty and it has a good beer menu. 😎 We order a golden ale and an Italian pale lager, both made by Birra Antoniana. Both taste yummy.

Time to explore the town!

A room full of art.

Not many shops are open, including this one. We peer through the window at the collection of classical art.

A Caorle cat.

From an empty storefront, a cat ignores us.

It’s hard NOT to look dorky in this cutout.

This is beach town, remember? So naturally there is a cutout, and we have a chance to be dorky. 😉

We are hungry, so we go back to our hotel to clean up, then head out to find a nice restaurant.

Caorle streets at night.

The streets are virtually empty. We can hear voices in the distance, most likely a bar or night club, but that’s not what we are looking for

Dinner in Caorle.

We wander, and we stumble upon Ristorante Bucintoro, a classy restaurant with only one other couple. Perfect! Now for a salad with a LARGE bottle of extra virgin olive oil and a smaller bottle of balsamic vinegar. And we are happy.