JESOLO

Jesolo is a landmark seaside resort on the Veneto coast with a thousand-year history.

26,000 inhabitants live in an area of 96 square kilometres, overlooking the Adriatic Sea and a beach with fine golden sand that over the decades has made it the tourist attraction it is today, with over 5 million visitors a year. There are also the fishing valleys of the Northern Lagoon of Venice, a UNESCO heritage site, a unique environment thanks to its biodiversity, and the inland area, once a swampy marshland transformed by land reclamation into fertile countryside with a geometric layout planted with crops and market gardens.

Most of Jesolo’s residents are concentrated in the old town centre, which is the crucible of the town’s history, from its Roman origins, through the Great War, to the appearance of the first beach concessions on the coast. Jesolo’s history takes shape not far from its centre, in what is now the archaeological site of the Antiche Mura, or ancient walls. Part of the town’s cultural heritage and identity, it is the Roman centre of the original ‘vicus’ – village – of Equilium, which over the centuries became a flourishing centre of trade along the eastern route of the Venetian Republic. Here are the remains of the ancient cathedral basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, built in the 11th century on the site of several older churches, including early Christian ones, which became a bishopric, testifying to Equilium’s importance. Its history spans the centuries until the advent of the 20th century and the gradual emergence of the tourist resort. This was a period of transformation in the area, which, after recovering from the devastation of the First World War and embarking on land reclamation, saw the first beach concessions, guest houses and hotels, created by the pioneers of Jesolo’s tourist industry,

spring up on almost 15 kilometres of coastline. This development has continued to crescendo since the Second World War, leading to the town’s emergence as a leading tourist resort.

Today, Jesolo has over 350 hotels, more than 7,000 tourist apartments, 7 campsites and holiday villages, 80,000 beds and over 1,200 businesses including shops, restaurants, bars and trendy clubs. These are important figures for this Veneto resort, confirmed by over 5 million tourists who choose Jesolo each year as their holiday destination. It is an all-round resort, which boasts blue and green flags – symbols of quality – and offers excellent food and wine, relaxation, plenty to do for young people and families, cycle tourism with over 500 kilometres of cycle paths and river tourism thanks to the inland rivers and canals that are part of the Venetian coast.

Jesolo also hosts large-scale events, with around 700 events of all kinds organised throughout the year. These include “Miss Italy” with the national finals of the beauty contest held in the resort since 2012; and the “Jesolo European Air Show”, which attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year and in which the Frecce Tricolori, Italy’s aerobatic display team, takes part. There is also the ‘Jesolo Sand Nativity’, now in its 16th year, which was held in St. Peter’s Square in Rome for Christmas 2018. There are huge concerts, with leading names in Italian music like Gianni Morandi and Laura Pausini and international music, like the Duluth singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. There is also plenty of sport, with Jesolo being a stage on the Giro d’Italia cycle race several times, hosting the Mediterranean under-23 athletics championships and football, including visits by champions like Alessandro Del Piero. Jesolo is an all-round destination that caters to the needs of both its citizens and visitors, who will find excellent hospitality and a warm welcome – values that have always been a feature of this resort on the Adriatic Coast.