Jesolo or Iesolo (; vec, Gèxoło) is a seaside resort town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' in the Metropolitan City of Venice,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

of 26,447 inhabitants. With around six million visitors per year, Jesolo is one of the largest beach resorts in the country, and ranks 7th overall as a tourist destination, and fourth (behind Rimini, Cavallino-Treporti, San Michele al Tagliamento/Bibione) most popular Italian seaside resort. With 204,711.4 visits per thousand inhabitants, it is also one of the 50 Italian towns with the greatest tourist pressure. Its 15 kilometre long beaches and proximity to central Europe make it a favourite destination of many German, Austrian, Dutch and French visitors.

Geography

The town lies north of Venice, between Eraclea and Cavallino-Treporti. Jesolo gives its name to a

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons' ...

of on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

between the rivers Sile and Piave. The urbanized area lies on an island of sorts, delimited by the rivers Piave (on the east) and Sile (on the west), and an artificial canal called ''Cavetta,'' which starts from the center of Jesolo and goes towards Cortellazzo''.'' The Jesolo area stretches along the Venetian coast on a flat landscape overlooking the

and edged by Jesolo’s own lagoon (22 km), and by the rivers Sile and Po. This latter is edged by the opposite

Laguna del Mort Laguna del Mort is a lake in the Province of Venezia The Province of Venice (''Provincia di Venezia'') was a province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Its capital was the city of Venice. It had an area of 2,467 km2, and a total pop ...

. The valley of Dragojesolo together with that of Grassabò, is the largest in the northern lagoon of Venice. The coastal strip is low and sandy, consisting of an uninterrupted beach about 12 kilometres long and varying in thickness between 30 and 100 metres.

History

In Roman times the lagoon extended over the area now occupied by the town. There were several islands in the lagoon, the biggest of which was known as , the place of horses. It is thought that Jesolo represents a corruption of this name.

Origin of the name

The ancient name of Jesolo was ''Equilium'' (from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

''equos'' or from

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

''ekvo'') which means "town of horses". The name refers to the breeding of horses, for which the ancient Venetians were famous. The current name of Jesolo probably comes from a series of transcription errors of the oldest name (''Equilo, Esulo, Lesulo, Jexulo, Jexollo, Jesolum, Giesolo''). From the 16th century until 1930, Jesolo was called ''Cavazzuccherina''. This name came from the canal of the same name (in Venetian ''Cava''), opened on 20 April and built by Alvise Zucharin (Zuccherina). The official spelling used by the municipality is Jesolo but in the same time, the spelling Iesolo is also erroneously used. The use of "J" here is a rare example of a retained archaism, as the letter does not exist in the modern standard Italian alphabet, except in loanwords and proper names.

Economy

The city's economy is mostly based on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

. Jesolo is a seaside resort with abundant holiday facilities and its beach called Lido di Jesolo. At the height of its touristic life, Jesolo was hosting 6.5 million tourists per year. Currently these have dropped to around 5.5-6 million tourists per year due to the competition from new resort towns. In 2020, because of the covid 19 pandemic, Jesolo has registered around 3.5 million nights, ranking second among Italian beaches overall.

People

* Petrus de Natalibus (d. circa 1400),

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of Equilio from 1370 to his death, and author who compiled the widely circulated book ''Legends of the Saints''. * Matteo Momentè (b. 1987), Italian footballer who had played for

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter i ...

in the early 2000s but now plays for Pistoiese. * Dragan Cigan (1975-2007), Bosnian construction worker and a nonswimmer who jumped into a whirlpool to save two children from drowning before drowning himself. For his sacrifice he was awarded Gold Medal for Civil Valor and a street in Jesolo was named after him.

Sport

The local football team,

A.C. Jesolo Associazione Calcio Jesolo is an Italian association football club, based in Jesolo, Veneto. Jesolo currently plays in Prima Categoria Veneto group G. History The club was founded in 1929 as Gruppo Sportivo Dopolavoro Jesolo, become Associa ...

, is based at the Stadio Armando Picchi and plays in the Prima Categoria Veneto group G. Jesolo hosts the City of Jesolo Trophy, an international

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

competition.

Twin towns

* Velden am Wörther See,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, since 2006

Gallery

Jesolo - tramonto sulla spiaggia.jpg Jesolo01.jpg Torri di piazza Drago a Jesolo.jpg G-tower di Piazza Marina a Jesolo.jpg Grattacielo Merville - panoramio.jpg Lido di Jesolo, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy - panoramio (39).jpg Lido di Jesolo.JPG

Notes and references

External links

Webcam
from Jesolo Tourism Association. {{Authority control Cities and towns in Veneto Lists of municipalities of Italy