Water and bees
The “A.A.A.” project aims to set up in the Venetian-Slovenian area a method to develop sustainable tourism through two significant elements: water - intended as wetlands, the arms of the river and the lagoon environment - and beekeeping. This initiative represents the beginning of a permanent programme of interventions translating into the two itineraries to be developed: the first with naturalistic relevance is located among the wetlands above the mouth of the Dese river and the Northern lagoon of Venice, and the second is devoted to beekeeping activities, in order to set up a bee-tourist centre of excellence. The project intends to trigger the transformation of these areas into potential tourist destinations, by connecting three SCI- Sites of Community Importance (Mestre wood, Praello quarry and Gaggio quarry) with the Northern Lagoon Park through the mouth of the Dese river. By means of a sustainable tourism programme, a series of itineraries are proposed: river trekking, cycling routes, bridle paths or river/lagoon routes. The objective of the programme is relieving tourism congestion by creating new opportunities for the fruition of naturalistic environments, also through the promotion of smaller production activities - like beekeeping - that are of great interest for their positive effects on the environment and the economy, both in Italy and Slovenia. Upon project completion and to ensure the dissemination of relevant information two volumes will be published, one presenting the Wood of Mestre and the area studied by the project, and the other on honey, with interesting recipes using this product.