The ride south from Comacchio – a canal town that sits on the edge of a large, brackish lagoon – to Ravenna was relatively easy.  Cycling south around the edge of the lagoon and across cyclepaths built on dikes between the lagoons and canals was a great way to see the wildlife up close.  There were remnants of abondoned and flooded out brick buildings that the brackish water had reclaimed over the centuries standing partially submerged in the mud.  And it was full of birds – feeding on fish and water creatures and insects, – including a huge flock of resident flamingos.

Sadly the flamingos did not cooperate to come close enough to pose, but here are some other photos of this gorgeous area.

Comacchio, Italy canals

Fishing shacks with large nets lined the lagoon

Riding several miles across a narrow dike between a canal and the lagoon made for slow going and required dodging thistles and eating a few bugs but was incredibly beautiful