The legendary canoe descent Belluno – Piave – Sile – Cavallino
A story that has been flowing for years, like a river
There are journeys that you won’t find on official maps. They don’t originate from an organized event or a tourist package, but from the stories of those who have experienced them.
What we want to tell here is one of these.
For many years, guests at Camping Villa al Mare – experienced canoeists, sports travelers, Italian and foreign clubs – have ended their adventures with the same tired yet satisfied smile. And they tell us about a special achievement:
Canoeing from Belluno to the sea, following the Piave River and then the Sile.
Over time we realized that it was not an isolated incident, but an unwritten tradition, passed down like a water legend. This page is created to collect and preserve those stories, and to offer a reference point for those who dream of undertaking this journey.
A journey through nature, water, and memory
Canoeing down the Piave doesn’t just mean covering kilometers of water.
It means to cross:
- natural environments that change day by day
- a river that has been a way of life, a border and a refuge
- the iconic sites of the Great War, where Italy’s history has left a deep mark
From the heart of the Dolomites to the Venetian lagoon, the journey combines adventure, scenery, and memory, all the way to the sea.
The itinerary handed down over time
The following stages represent the most commonly told and established form of this descent. They are not rules, but a guiding thread, refined over the years by those who have undertaken it.
🔹 Stage 1 – Belluno → Fener
đź“Ź about 40 km
The departure takes place near the Belluno train station, where the Piave River is still young and powerful. The stretch is long and challenging, surrounded by a wild landscape of gravel banks, forests, and swift currents.
In Fener, it is necessary to make a dam crossing, which is why this spot has gradually become a natural stopover to spend the night, rest, recharge, and move on.
Being the first day, it is also the hardest and most technical: here the river makes itself felt, concentration is at its peak, and nature gets under your skin, marking the true beginning of the undertaking.
🔹 Stage 2 – Fener → Nervesa della Battaglia
📏 about 15–18 km
A shorter stage, often experienced with greater calm. The river slows down, the landscape opens up, and the Montello appears.
Here the journey meets the memory of the Great War:
- the places of the Battle of the Solstice
- The Benedictine Abbey of Santa Bona
- Jonathan Collection Foundation – Historic Aircraft
- The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Piave with the commemorative monument for the fallen
- the Piave as a line of resistance and historical symbol
In Nervesa della Battaglia there is a second rest stop, but this is not the only reason why, over the years, many canoeists have chosen to stop here.
Although the stretch is relatively short, Nervesa offers numerous places to visit, connected to the history of the Great War and the deep relationship between the Piave and the Montello area. Memorials, historical trails, and scenic viewpoints make this stop an ideal opportunity to get out of the canoe, walk, observe, and understand.
This is why, over time, Nervesa has become a natural stop on the journey: not only out of technical necessity, but also for the historical and symbolic significance of the place.
A day that invites you to pause, observe, and remember.
🔹 Stage 3 – Nervesa → Fossalta di Piave
đź“Ź about 25 km
The Piave opens up and changes its appearance. It becomes wider, more even, and the paddling finds a continuous, almost natural rhythm.
It’s a day when the body works automatically and the mind finally has space to wander. Many describe this stretch as the most meditative of the entire journey: the river accompanies you, time slows down, and the kilometers pass by without hurry.
In Fossalta di Piave, the journey meets History once again. Here was the center of two fronts, the Italian one and the Austro-Hungarian one, with only the Piave River separating them.
Among these two fires were also Red Cross volunteers, including Hemingway, who enlisted to go fight in Europe as a driver for the American Red Cross ambulances. Hemingway found himself involved in the retreat of the Italian army after the defeat at Caporetto and spent time in Fossalta di Piave, the place where he was injured and which he recounted in his novel “Across the River and into the Trees,” mentioning the famous Yellow House.
A place where water stops being just a path and becomes a memory to be passed down.
🔹 Stage 4 – Fossalta → Camping Villa al Mare
đź“Ź about 30 km
The last day is not just a descent: it is a passage.
Upon reaching San DonĂ di Piave, one leaves the Piave and enters the Sile River (also called the Piave Vecchia), as if the journey were changing its voice and breath once again.
The waters become calm, the silence more present, the surroundings take on an almost lagoon-like character. One paddles without hurry, aware that each stroke brings them closer to the sea.
Then, slowly, the horizon opens up. The river journey becomes a sea voyage.
🏕️ Camping Villa al Mare, in Cavallino-Treporti, is not just the end of the journey: it is the natural landing of the adventure, the place where effort gives way to storytelling, and the river finally meets the sea.
The natural landing: Camping Villa al Mare
Over the years, those who arrive here after paddling down the Piave in a canoe often tell us the same thing:
“Here the journey finds its meaning; it is the closing of a circle, of an incredible endeavor.”
For this reason, Camping Villa al Mare is not just an accommodation facility, but:
- a destination
- a place to rest after days in the water
- a space where stories are told and passed down
From the river to the sea, never stopping the journey.
An invitation to those who dream of this venture
This page does not aim to be a definitive technical guide. It wants to be a living story, born from the experience of those who have reached it.
Those who decide to take on this descent do so with respect:
- for the river
- for nature
- for the history that flows along its banks
If one day you arrive here, you will know that you too were part of a legend that keeps flowing, just like the river.
And when you lay the canoe on the sand, after kilometers of water, effort, and silence, there will always be a cold beer waiting for the heroes, to drink while watching the sea.
Because every epic journey deserves an ending worth remembering. And for those who have chosen to descend from the heart of the Dolomites to the sea, there will also be a small souvenir to take home: not a prize, but a symbolic trophy, a token of a truly lived achievement.
A sign that is not assigned automatically.
The medal is awarded exclusively to those who have notified their arrival at Camping Villa al Mare in advance, by booking accommodation or indicating the completion of the journey, or to those who have documented the achievement with images and stories of the journey undertaken.
Each trophy is indeed numbered and personalized, and must be carefully prepared before the arrival, because every descent is different, every story is unique, and every legend deserves to be written in due time.
