Much of Pellestrina’s seafront is lined by a remarkable feat of 18th-century engineering known as the Murazzi. Although not immediately impressive to modern eyes, these massive sea walls represent Herculean handiwork from a preindustrial age. Designed to keep high seas from crashing into the lagoon, they remain an effective breakwater even today. On calm days, long stretches of grey-sand beaches separate the Murazzi from the sea.
