Summer on Lido
Alberoni and Bar Marcondo
Alberoni beach, found right at the tip of Lido, a short jump from Lido-Pellestrina It has changed not a whit since Visconti shot death in Venice there. Same shabby blue bathing cabins, same faded umbrellas, possibly the same elderly ladies gravely playing cards and commenting on the heat. A very happy combination.
Charming just as it is, but for a wilder beach experience Venetians venture further along the sands towards the mole with its brightly painted fishing huts. This was the beach where Byron (him again) finished his solitary morning gallops. Goethe and Chateaubriand walked here, and wrote of the loneliness of the soughing pine trees and the haughty dignity of the seabirds. On a day of shimmering heat, with the haze dancing inches above the seared sand and the shallow pale water the temperature of blood it can feel almost tropical; impossible to believe that Venice lies just across the water.
The best thing about this part of Alberoni has to be Bar Macondo, a makeshift structure of driftwood, benches and palm thatched sunshades strung with coloured lights hidden away in the dunes. With your feet in the sand and a plate of lemony peppata di cozze you might just be in Mexico- it feels like nowhere else on the Lido.
We will be sharing Peppata di Cozze, White Sangria and Salt and Pepper Squid Recipes
I first found this wonderful shack in 2004. I took the the bus to the harbour. No idea where I was and followed a path through the woods. Came across the shack with all the fabulous sculptures, music and fabulous food. Thought I had gone to Heaven. Later discovered the bus stop at the beach club.