The Port of Cervia
The canal port of Cervia is certainly one of the most characteristic areas of our city . It is currently the main meeting place for the inhabitants of Cervia and also for many tourists.The port develops around an artificial canal, the Canale delle saline , which once had two functions: it connected the salt pans to the sea, ensuring their production line, and was used to embark and export the salt produced by sea. In a short time the Cervese canal became a stable landing place for the fishermen of Chioggia and Goro, who since the nineteenth century gave rise to the settlement of a community detached from the life of Cervia: Borgo Marina had its own commercial life, taverns, shops and a maritime cultural identity different from the saline one.
Since 1445 the Marriage of the Sea is proposed again in Cervia: legend has it that the rite is connected to the event that occurred when Pietro Barbo, Bishop of Cervia, on his return from Venice was surprised by a storm at sea and to appease it he pledged the waters the pastoral ring, thus saving himself and the crew. Since then, the blessing of the waters and the "marriage" with the sea have been renewed every year: the Bishop throws the wedding ring into the open sea that a group of Cervesi boys have to fish out. Retrieving the ring bodes well and promises good luck and prosperity.