Grado resort town

62km from Trieste is the town of Grado, a popular destination in and outside Italy. Visitors are attracted not only by the beautiful beaches in Grado but also by the rich history of the town located on the island of the same name.

The old town in the centre of Grado is a treasure trove. Each building carries a rare historical weight, such as the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia, built in the 4th century.

Grado became a popular holiday destination in Western Europe in the late 19th century. Under Emperor Franz Joseph I Karl of Austria, resorts and hotels in Grado developed rapidly thanks to state investment. These establishments are still open today. The most popular hotels and resorts are located around the Costa Azzurra beach on the western edge of the town. Costa Azzurra not only has excellent sand and water quality but also a beautiful climate all year round. Grado Island is known as “L'isola del Sole”, meaning “Island of the Sun”. Many Italians who have just recovered from illness often choose Grado as a place to recover.

Grado Island is located in the Grado Lagoon, one of the most biodiverse places in Italy. To preserve the environment here, Rome established the Valle Cavanata Nature Reserve in 1996. The reserve covers 327 hectares, mainly grasslands and marshes. Thanks to the brackish water environment rich in oxygen, crustaceans thrive in Valle Cavanata, followed by birds such as pelicans and flamingos. Birdwatchers should visit Valle Cavanata in late winter, when migratory flamingos are most concentrated in the reserve.

About 20 minutes by boat from Grado is Barnaba Island. The island has fewer than 400 inhabitants but welcomes more than 5,000 visitors each year, mainly Catholic pilgrims to the Santuario di Barbana shrine. Legend has it that in the 10th century, a statue of the Virgin Mary washed ashore at Barnaba and was rescued by monks on the island. When the plague broke out across Europe more than three centuries later, the statue of the Virgin Mary protected the Grado lagoon from the disease. The locals were so moved that they built the Santuario di Barbana shrine. The shrine is most crowded on the first Sunday of July each year. On this day, each local family sends their eldest son to Barbana to celebrate the ceremony.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thi-tran-nghi-mat-grado-692633.html