Floating through Italy on the Adige!

We were on the train almost to Verona when we crossed over the Adige river and wondered if there were any canoeing opportunities there. As canoeists we are always UP for spending some time on a river.  Upon arrival in Verona in the evening we emailed Adige Rafting and they were so quick with their response that we were ready to paddle in the morning. 


We had never heard of the Adige but we were ready to go.   We took a taxi to their offices, which was hard to find, but it was right on the river outside of town. Once we arrived at the canoe outfitters, we found that their "canoes" were actually canoe-shaped air-filled rafts!  We all pitched in to help get our canoes ready filling them up with air.


The Adige is a swift flowing river that was easy to paddle. It had recently rained so the water was murky from the runoff.  Usually, we were told, the river is quite clear.  The water was cool and refreshing.  We did get splashed a little once when we went through a short rapid.  We were impressed with the cleanliness of the river.  This river ran right through the populous city of Verona and yet there was no trash, not even washed up on the shore.

Wolfgang was our guide as we took the 2 hour run down the river.  Wolfgang, originally from Switzerland, was in a sleek kayak and paddled circles around us.  He was along to interpret some of the buildings and historical bridges we were seeing and setting them in to their historical context.  It was very interesting!


Canoeing under each bridge the guide instructed us to paddle across the eddy created by the bridge column so we could stop in the calm water and talk about the history of the particular bridge.


This is the Ponte (bridge) Scaligero which we stopped to examine.  Notice the historic design built in the 14th century and then rebuilt after being damaged in WWII.  This bridge provided an escape route for the local feudal ruler to leave the Castelvecchio in case of need.  The castle is a must see in Verona.

We passed by another bridge, Ponte Pietra which was built in 100 BC by Romans, destroyed in WWII and then restored in 1959.  We could see the earlier sections built of white stone combined with the newer red brick.  The different sections tying the centuries together.


Going through Verona there was not much wildlife although we did see several ducks which looked like USA mallard ducks.

A van met us at the take-out on the other side of the city, and it was a quick ride to our AirBnB.  We were dropped back in the city in time for lunch.

A canoe trip on the Adige is a great way to get an introduction to the city of Verona. The trip on the river helped us make our itinerary for the afternoon.  As we passed different places we said to ourselves, "Oh, we need to make sure we go there!"