Grado Travel Guide - Hotel reservations and tourist attractions

Dubbed the Golden Island or the Sunny Island, Grado stands out as a holiday grado destination featuring seemingly endless leisure opportunities suiting a vast range of objectives and expectations. This resort on the Adriatic Sea sees at present a rightfully increasing popularity grounded on the abundant tourist assets it capitalizes upon. Thus, natural richness and uniqueness, the modern facilities and comfort yielded by the solid tourist infrastructure, as well as an eventful agenda, all these blend into a single congruent picture which yields the successful formula so dear to tourists in search of genuine vacations paradises. The relatively close proximity to Venice, for instance, or to other beach resorts on the Adriatic Sea, such as Lignano or Bibione, turns Grado into a place which is always worth visiting, the satisfaction of a holiday complete from all points of view being guaranteed.

Grado Accommodation

Being the increasingly popular seaside resort that it actually is, Grado could not but welcome its visitors with a wide range of accommodation solutions, from 4-star hotels to camping sites. This essential feature of the tourist infrastructure is extremely salutary to the resort, on the one hand, and to tourists, on the other hand, since thus Grado has the opportunity of uprising and standing out as a valuable tourist hub in Italy and visitors have the chance of searching out the undeniable tourist richness of the Golden Island of Italy.

Eating out in Grado

Long before the tourism boom, Grado used to be inhabited by fishermen who made a living mainly by accepting the gifts of the sea. This historic preoccupation is nowadays mirrored by the traditional fish dishes which are now labeled as local specialties and sold as such to tourists in search of gastronomic experiences. Thus, the so-called boreto alla graisana (otherwise called boreto alla gradese), as well as the classic boreto, despite their pour poor peasant origin, are a source of culinary thrill particularly if they are served with polenta and washed down by the renowned red wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Seasoning the dishes with a species of asparagus, namely, fossalon asparagus is yet another specific feature of local cuisine. The sepe sofegae, a sort of cuttlefish stew, is also worth taking into consideration by those who want to make an adequate impression of what gastronomic specialties are about in Grado.

Grado Spa centres and Golf

It’s true that beaches and the activities they enable stand for the hotspot of Grado when it comes to tourists’ favorite way of spending time and relaxing. However, Grado features a large range of alternatives able to diversify visitors’ stay in this resort. Thus, golf enthusiasts can always resort to the services and facilities made available by the Grado Golf Club. Tennis, windsurfing, sailing and horse riding alike are possible in Grado, opening new perspectives and new approaches of the way of spending time and discovering Grado simultaneously. Aerobics and water gym are intended for those who want to spend the holiday and stay fit at the same time, whereas tourists in search of more extensive bodily treatments can always resort to the services put forward by the Grado Spa Water Park or by the Grado Spa center.

Grado Tourist Attractions

Grado is an ascertained ancient settlement, and the fact that the history of this place comes down to more than millenary tranquil fishing activities is substantiated by the few landmarks and remains which might just as well be deemed tourist objectives. These landmarks refer to the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, dating back as early as the 4th century, to the Basilica of Sant’Eufemia and to its adjoining Baptistery, and to the Barbana Sanctuary, located, as the name suggests, in the homonymous island in the Grado Lagoon. Other ancient remains are still visible today, but tourists should also channel their curiosity to certain other attractions, such as the two nature reserves pertaining to Grado, namely, the River Isonzo Mouth Reserve and the Valle Cavanata Reserve. The so-called casoni (fishermen’s houses made of reed) also stand for a nice scenery so typical of the former Italian fishing villages more or less suddenly turned into tourist hotspots.

Grado Festivals and Events

Some of the cultural events to catch the attention refer to, for instance, Books and Authors under Sunshade, to the Literary Festival Grado Giallo and to the Laguna Movies and Laguna Cartoons. The Graisana Open race and Regatta de le Batele are also popular with the enthusiasts for the obvious reasons, whereas the Puppet Festival and the Perdon di Barbana are extremely tempting for a different kind of public. All in all, Grado is eventful enough to be deemed a place where things do happen.

Other Italian Resorts on the Adriatic Sea

Jesolo is above all a harmonious combination of natural display and anthropogenic comforts. This feature is mirrored, amongst others, by the accommodation solutions available in Jesolo, ranging from 4-star hotels to camping sites. Also, nature exploration is paralleled by the sundry fun parks and sports facilities which yield the platform of an unforgettable experience.

The so-called casoni are a typical presence in plenty of Italian seaside resorts on the Adriatic Sea. But the fact Caorle is home to Isola dei Casoni – in the Falconera area of the resort – means these traditional fishermen homes are held in great respect in Caorle. Settlements which honor their origins are worthy of respect.

The 5-star Savoy Beach Hotel is the best alternative for those heading for Bibione and who intend to splurge. Accommodation, however, ranges up to camping sites, which is always a relief for budget travelers of for those with a penchant for staying close to nature. Indeed, nature has been extremely generous with Bibione, both faunally and florally speaking. Nature exploration is, thus, a fine manner of diversifying one’s stay in Bibione.

Golden sand is the very symbol of vacations spent in beach resorts. Lignano, with its Lignano Sabbiadoro is in this respect possibly one of the most inspired alternatives. Yet, a stay in Lignano can always be complemented by other opportunities, such as resorting to golf clubs, fun parks, or spa centers.

Tourists with a penchant for splurging are advised to resort to the 5-star Grief Hotel in Lignano. Accommodation, however, is as miscellaneous as it gets in Lignano, from variously rated hotels to camping sites.

Of all the some 1000 hotels in Rimini, the Rimini Grand Hotel is the most advisable for splurging. Dubbed the city of small villas as an ascertainment of the picturesque architectural heritage of the city, Rimini is, indeed, a place full of history and various tourist opportunities waiting to be searched out.

Nearby Rimini there is Riccione, a resort of incredible resourcefulness as to the variety of tourist opportunities. In Riccione one can never get bored, since liveliness is what describes better the resort. The seemingly never sleeping Riccione is replete with venues ranging from nightlife opportunities to theme parks which keep visitors 24 hours a day.