Secret Lagoon: Three Days Sailing in the Venice That (Almost) No One Sees

First day

We are located at Ca' Savio around 6:00 p.m. to board the boat and have a briefing with the skipper. Once we’ve stowed our luggage, we’ll stock the galley together and get familiar with the boat, its layout, and life on board. We can either prepare dinner together or choose a restaurant nearby. No rushing, no packed schedule: the journey has already begun, even though the boat is still moored. Overnight stay on board.

Second day

Sant'Erasmo by Bike and the Northern Lagoon
After breakfast, we cast off and head toward Sant’Erasmo, an agricultural island and our first real glimpse of a Venice far from the historic center. We pick up our bikes and set off on our own along a 10-km loop, with plenty of time to stop along the way. Halfway through the ride, we’ll stop among the vegetable gardens to sample what the island’s soil has to offer that season, explained by the people who work the land. We can have lunch on the island or return on board and cook together. In the afternoon, we’ll sail toward Burano or Torcello, where we’ll spend the evening: free time for a stroll, and if you’d like, dinner ashore. Overnight stay on board.

Third day

Hidden Islands and Venice Seen from the Water
The day begins with one of the weekend’s most rare moments: San Francesco del Deserto, a tiny island accessible only by boat. We go ashore for a guided tour led by one of the friars who live there, who guides us through the monastery, cloister, and garden, sharing ancient knowledge and stories that few other places in the lagoon still preserve. We set sail again toward the heart of the lagoon, passing by San Servolo and Poveglia, two islands with very different histories that the skipper recounts as we glide across the water, all the way to the St. Mark’s Basin. When the wind and the lagoon permit, we hoist the sails to cross Venice as it was seen before the advent of engines—when only sailboats approached, the same waters traversed by silk and spice merchants, the same view Marco Polo had on his return home. In the afternoon, we set course for Ca’ Savio to disembark.