The “Casoni” of Comacchio's lagoons

Comacchio's lagoons were initially made of fresh water, formed by the flooding of the rivers, then in the sixteenth century the entry of sea water started, which gave birth to the final brackish water valley.

Between banks and bumps countless “Casoni “ (huts) and “Tabard” could be seen, on which the organization of traditional fishing is based: a proof of the great hard work and determination of these communities.

Originally, the huts were built with reeds and straw, then, since the seventeenth century, they were rebuilt in brick and with more rooms.

Their function was double as they served both as a fishing station, and as a stakeout station to protect the valleys from the illegal fishing.

Today, after an accurate restoration, there still are several stakeout huts (Foce, Coccalino, and Donnabona) and two fishing huts: the Pegoraro and the Serilla, one of the biggest.

Visiting them, you can see an example of a traditional “lavoriero”, a capture system inside the water that allow to capture the eels separately from mullet and other fish, which, driven by their reproductive instinct, migrate to the sea.