Beautiful Beaches a Lignano

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”
–Anonymous

(Isn’t it always a warm feeling to walk down memory lane as far as our childhood? Especially beach memories. Having lived south of Luzon, Philippines, we frequent the beach too when I was a little kid. ) Now that we live far from the sea is something I often complain about and compare to those days growing up. We would often go when summer comes and we’d spend a day getting all sun-burned, eating what the grown ups brought with them or grilled by the coals provided at the rented nipa huts.  A day at the sea is something we always look forward to.

To the Beach This Summer

Anyway, we were in Italy (Lignano) for a week, reason why my son has ‘burnt’ skin. =) My want to have my older son breath some fresh sea breeze took us to a trip 8 hours away from home. My mama always said that kids with bronchitis benefit well from breathing salt air. So it was a vacation and therapy of sorts in one trip. We rented two apartments in a Villa which conveniently has a pool and is also a short walking distance from the beach. The apartment we got has two bedrooms, a big kitchen and living room which makes it convenient to cook food.

Beach Charm

I collect shells from the beaches I go to…seems my daughter has the same interest as mine. Unfortunately, the shells there were small and scarce. Daughter asked why is it so and I just said, perhaps, the harsh waves had crushed them into sand already…

Though it isn’t that bad, as Anne Morrow Lindbergh said “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach; one can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.”

Although there’s a pool at the Villa, the kids insisted on going to the beach everyday. We would bring pails and shovels, a plastic boat, and floaties for safety. The kids definitely like the atmosphere at the beach, despite the salty water. The beach will always have a charm that draws us.

Everyday Swim

He’s the one (below photo) suffering from bronchitis since 2006, it has affected his built a lot, he is thin for his age even if he has an appetite like mine. It is a good thing that the kids go swimming often as part of school activities. They know how to swim now, but floaties are a must, still.

Youngest son, was so fond of playing with the sand, he stayed longer hours by the shore more than he did on water. All the more when he drank some saltwater lol. Below, trying to build a sandcastle.

Picturesque Night Views

You’ll recognize this photo as part of this blog’s header (changed many times now). This shot has been a favorite from our Lignano trip. It was around 8pm but as usual, the summer dusk is a perfect blue.

A palm tree is characteristic of the plaza along with other trees I’m not familiar with. What’s charming in this Italian comune is because of the breeze you’ll know that the sea is very near but because they’ve properly developed it, you wouldn’t know how far it is from where you’re standing.

The Lignano plaza is a busy, noisy, full-of-vendor open space…souvenir shops, street paintings, trinkets and klumperts can be found. There’s a Karaoke in the middle when we passed by. Nope, I didn’t sing, I only sing at home never in such a public place. ^_^

The plaza could also be full of street painters and well, anything colorful you’ll find.

Homecooked Meals

Being near the sea means fresh seafood everywhere. Markets and groceries sell fish, crabs, shrimps, all fruits of the sea in affordable prices. And MIL is awesome in the kitchen so the week was one full of happy tummies. Although there are no complaints when eating outside, Italy is the home of pizza and pasta after all.

Souvenir Shops

Lignano is certainly one of the cleaner towns I’ve been to. Very seldom would you find a piece of trash on the street. There are lots of garbage bin around for all the trash. Everything is spic and span….gotta salute the municipal leaders for implementing cleanliness and the citizens for keeping the place clean.

Above is a convenience store – chips and anything to munch lol. Below is a souvenir shop, mostly murano glasses and jewelry or just postcards and other stuff.

It was a fun time for the kids to visit the shores….not the white sand beaches I got used to but hey, it’s still sand! 🙂