Falconera

Falconera is the outpost of the magical world of endless silence and warm humanity immortalised by Hemingway: the lagoon. Beyond the calm water of the Canalon, which flows with seeming laziness into the Adriatic, lies one of the most beautiful and evocative natural areas of the Veneto. For thousands of years it has seen countless forms of animal and plant life reproduce, following the orderly cycle of the seasons. Man lives in perfect harmony with this order. The casone, built of marsh reed, is the refuge, home and castle of the lord of this enchanting kingdom: the fisherman. Not many years ago the whole community of Caorle, which lived exclusively from fishing in the lagoon, spent most of the year (in good seasons) in these shelters. Life, now as then, begins at dawn. After a coffee well laced with liqueur, the tools are got ready and they row out to the waters richest in fish. They only come back after sunset. While part of the fishing crew puts the tools in order, the one who acts as cook busies himself at the hearth. The accompaniment to the steaming polenta is always part of the day’s catch, either roasted or in a fish stew. Then it is time for the men to relax and talk about their families far away. A glass of wine chases away every worry, and they joke until tiredness and sleep overcome even the grumpiest old lagoon wolf. As soon as the fire’s warmth fades the men lie down on their straw mattresses, for tomorrow’s dawn is already near.