Ancient waters. The course of the 

Along the Upper Adriatic coastline, immediately behind the shoreline, a number of waterways flow inland and create a course that, crossing canals, rivers and lagoons, starts off from the Po river and empties at Punta Sdobba in the Gulf of Trieste and, from here, opens towards the Istrian coasts. This is the famous “Venetian Coastline” waterway. Ancient writings dating back to Roman times narrate that from the area of Ravenna it was possible to sail up to the north through a series of canals, rivers and lagoons leading to the ports of Spina, Clodia, Metamauco, Altino di Heraclia, Concordia and Aquileia and, going upriver, to Opitergium, Portobuffolè, Porto Naonis, Portogruaro, etc. As regards the waterway flowing from Venice to Monfalcone, historical and cultural references are available, but the research conducted so far is limited to single segments or individual aspects of the territory. No comprehensive records exist therefore bringing together all available accounts and providing a useful instrument to learn about the history of these areas. In this sense the project consists of a research-study on the territory of the Province of Venice that runs laterally to the course of the “Venetian Coastline” waterway and to those water courses that extend from the Cavallino to the right bank of the Tagliamento river, considering various cultural, environmental, archaeological aspects as well as figurative, architectural and literary arts, presented at a closing conference and summarised in a publication with an enclosed CD-rom, thus offering a highly interactive reading.