Our history

Bibione’s history goes way back. Bibione sprang from the sea, and its fortunes are closely tied to both the sea and the land: the magical encounter between the salty shores of the Adriatic Sea and the fresh water of the Tagliamento River. A history of the water, then, but also a history of the land and the difficult one of the lagoon. The land has been home to many peoples over the centuries: The Venetians first, from the third and fourth centuries CE; and then, beginning in 181 CE, the Romans, who first began reclamation of the land and settling the area. With the fall of the Roman Empire and the advent of Christianity, Bibione became the property of the Bishop of Concordia and then was abandoned for several centuries. Areas that were not swamps or the lagoon quickly became thick with underbrush, wildlife and wild horses.

As time marched on, Bibione threw in its lot first with France, then Austria, which invaded it in 1798, and then was reconquered by Napoleon in 1805. Next it joined the Kingdom of Lombardy-Veneto and then, in 1866, became part of the Kingdom of Italy. It was during this era that the work begun by the Romans was restarted: draining the swampy areas to make this forgotten land more healthful.

At the beginning of the 1900s, when the Consortium was founded, major efforts were made towards land reclamation, channelling the waters and building up the banks. But as it was still considered an uncomfortable and inhospitable land, few families settled here for long, living off hunting, fishing and what little could be grown. The Colonia Marina, one of the few structures dating from the 1930s, was built due to the foresight of a local doctor from San Michele al Tagliamento. Since then, lush pine forests have grown up alongside the wide, beautiful beach that we know today.

During the 1950s, construction began on the first hotels, homes and shops, allowing the city to begin attracting tourists.

The name became official in 1960: a name that conjures up the past, identifying the place where the ‘Insulae Bibioni’ stood, meaning the islands in the sea linked to the lagoon by a narrow strip of land, as archaeological discoveries confirm today. It was then that Bibione received designation as a resort area, and in 1961 it was listed in the annual directory of the Touring Club. This whole world was trying to start over, to be reborn and to dream. The dream was of holidays at the sea with the family, ice cream enjoyed while sitting on the wall and Sunday outings to catch the first rays of sunlight. And fifty years ago, Bibione confidently began the journey that made it today the second most popular beach to visit and stay overnight at, a well-loved tourist destination that is appreciated internationally, one that offers great hospitality and excellent services.

Little more than fifty years have gone by since these photographs were taken, and it seems like centuries. That world seems quite far away. And still, the sounds of the sea echo in these suspended images, a sound that may be the same as ever: that ancient sound we have always heard. It echoes the sound of footsteps on the shore, the sloshing of a pedalo, the wind softly ruffling the waves. Sounds and emotions that were not so different fifty years ago, for those who left their footprints on the Bibione beach in earlier days.