7Venetian Lagoon, Italy
The Venetian Lagoon runs from the rushing Sile (River) in northern Italy to the Brenta (River) in the south. It has a total water surface area of almost 550 square kilometers. It is the Mediterranean Basin’s most significant wetland.
As the name implies, this lagoon is mainly located in Venice. Historically, it was once just a part of an entire system of estuarine lagoons from Roman times that once ran from Trieste to Ravenna. The lagoon is joined to the Adriatic Sea by a trio of individual inlets.
They are the Chioggia, the Malamocco, and the Lido. Interestingly enough, while the level of pollution here is a concern, bottlenose dolphins still sometimes enter the lagoon to feed. Visit the nearby Marano-Grado Lagoon, as well.
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