With 135 km of coastline, numerous lakes and rivers, and the wetlands in the Po Delta Park, the region offers innumerable chances to practice water sports. From classic sports like swimming and sailing to newer sports like kite surfing, old hands and curious novices can practice any number of their favourite sports in Emilia-Romagna.
If a passion for wind and sea runs in your veins, have a go at a wind or kite surfing lesson on the Emilia-Romagna Riviera. Travelling along the coast from the Po Delta towards Rimini, you’ll find countless schools with equipment hire and lessons for every skill level to satisfy your desire to whip across the sea at high speed.
To really get to know the Po Delta Park, go on a canoeing excursion and navigate the canals of the Comacchio Valley to the relaxing sound of paddles caressing the water.
You can also visit the wetlands north of Ravenna by canoe, like the Piallassa della Baiona, with its canals and reflective pools.
Scuba diving is another water sport you can do in the Adriatic Sea. Hunting for underwater shipwrecks and colourful fish is easy thanks to courses and excursions organised by the Riviera’s diving centres.
Take a magical dive in the completely natural area that has grown up around the Paguro wreck, an oil platform that sank in an accident in 1965 in the waters by Lido Adriano (Ravenna). At the depth of 25 metres, divers can enjoy this artificial reef inhabited by striped seabreams, European congers, saddled seabreams and brown meagres.
In listing various water sports, we mustn’t forget the grandfather of all water sports that does so good for the mind and body. Emilia-Romagna has an extensive list of swimming facilities and numerous Olympic-size pools, both for serious training and for fun.
Of course, the largest pool by far is the Adriatic. Learning to swim or perfecting your technique at the seaside is even more effective and enjoyable with the swimming courses for kids and adults organised by the bathing establishments along the Romagnola Riviera.
If sailing is already your thing, or if you’d like to challenge yourself and learn how, Emilia-Romagna’s Riviera offers plenty of opportunities to do so. The initiatives organised by the nautical and sailing clubs in the region range from courses for both kids and adults, and courses for offshore sailing and racing, to sailing excursions and cruises.
Another way to enjoy this sport is to go lake sailing. That’s exactly what you can do at Saltapicchio Adventure Park. Harnessing the wind, you can sail on Suviana Lake surrounded by the Bolognese Apennines.
Emilia-Romagna’s rivers are an excellent open-air gym, the perfect place for kayaking and rafting. Completely immersed in nature with just a canoe and a double-ended paddle, you can explore the Trebbia River on one of the excursions organised by the Val Trebbia Adventure Park in the Piacentine Apennines.
The Enza Valley’s Enza River flows through the Parco del Gigante [Giant’s Park] in the Reggio Emilia Apennines, a lovely place for a kayaking adventure, as are the Taro Valley and Ceno Valley in the province of Parma.
To get your adrenaline pumping, why not try rafting along one of the rivers in the area? We suggest the Limentra River, not far from Bologna, where riding the rapids is also permitted in summer.
