Once a mere salt marsh called Palude dei Laghi. Now, we stand before Isola dei Laghi.
Isola dei Laghi means Island of the Lakes. It sits in the northern Venice lagoon. Isola dei Laghi is conveniently located just north of Mazzorbetto and Torcello.
Until the 1960s, this 8.5-hectare island was just marshland. Mud from canal digging filled it. The newly created land became Isola dei Laghi. It is a relatively recent addition to the lagoon’s maps.
Isola dei Laghi has never been truly inhabited. You won’t find many buildings here. Just some huts used for gardening dot the landscape.
Since 1990, Isola dei Laghi has transformed. Institutions and associations created gardens here. There is even a plan for an agro-natural park. It would become part of the larger Lagoon Park.
The municipality owns most of Isola dei Laghi. A small part on the southern edge belongs to a private owner. It borders the Taglio Canal.
Lacking public transport, Isola dei Laghi offers a unique landscape. This is a sensitive natural environment. It lies in the heart of the northern lagoon.
Until the 1970s, Isola dei Laghi was part of the Palude dei Laghi marsh system. Land reclamation efforts transformed the area. The marshland became solid ground, and the area was named Isola dei Laghi.
For some years, the island served as a landfill. Eventually, it was abandoned. Spontaneous vegetation took over.
In the 1990s, a cultural association started recovery efforts. Elderly residents from Burano opened paths. They created gardens, recreating the traditional link between horticulture and fishing.
Isola dei Laghi also hosted a native plant nursery. This supported a European project. The project aimed to restore natural salt marshes in the Palude dei Laghi.
Other botanical and naturalistic activities followed. These were organized by the Forum for the Lagoon of Venice. Also, the Burano group “The Island That Is There” was involved.
The Consorzio Venezia Nuova included the island in a morphological recovery plan. They raised the banks and reorganized internal canals. A landing was built along the Taglio Canal. This allows access to the gardens.
Today, Isola dei Laghi is uninhabited. But it offers a suggestive landscape. It is a delicate natural environment. The area near the Mazzorbo Canal is private. It is not open to visitors.
The island showcases the lagoon’s morphological formations. Here, you will find marshes, mudflats, salt marshes, and wooded areas. The diverse plant life makes it a unique spot. It is a living laboratory for lagoon ecology.
Remember Isola dei Laghi. It embodies nature reclaiming its space. It demonstrates human efforts to restore balance.