A submerged landscape waiting to be explored
The Venetian Tegnùe are natural rocky outcrops that emerge from the sandy seabed of the Upper Adriatic, creating true underwater oases.
Just a few kilometers from the coast, the sea changes its face: the seabed rises into rock structures, small walls, terraces, and crevices that become a refuge for fish, crustaceans, sponges, nudibranchs, and many other forms of life.
Here, diving is not just observation: it is a slow, careful exploration, filled with details, colors, and encounters that often reveal themselves only in the light of the torch.
Map of the Tegnùe
The map shows the location of the main Venetian Tegnùe: San Marco, Serenissima, Lido, and Pellestrina.
The four main areas
Each Tegnùa has its own submerged morphology, with elevations, depressions, and rocky structures that emerge from the sandy-muddy seabed. Click on a map to open the complete bathymetric detail with description and coordinates.
Central area of the map, characterized by close elevations and very dense contour lines.
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Wide and articulated morphology, with numerous outcrops distributed across the seabed.
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Area with irregular elevations and depressions, clearly distinguishable from the surrounding seabed.
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Wide and complex structure, with concentric curves and marked elevations.
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Tegnùa San Marco
Tegnùa San Marco highlights a system of close elevations, with dense contour lines and variations in the seabed that describe a compact and very interesting rocky environment from a morphological perspective.
Tegnùa Pellestrina
Tegnùa Pellestrina features a wide and articulated morphology, with multiple outcrops and elevations distributed over an extensive area of the seabed. The bathymetric curves show a complex structure rich in variations.
Tegnùa Lido
Tegnùa Lido shows irregularly distributed elevations and depressions, with rocky areas that stand out clearly from the surrounding seabed. Its structure highlights the contrast between hard substrate and sandy-muddy seabed.
Tegnùa Serenissima
Tegnùa Serenissima features a wide and complex structure, with concentric contour lines and marked elevations that describe a very articulated submerged landscape. Its morphology highlights an area rich in bathymetric variations.
Flora and encrusting organisms
The rocky surfaces are colonized by multicolored sponges, ascidians, hydroids, and sea anemones. Among the most striking forms, organisms such as Anemonia sulcata and the so-called sea daisies, which color the rock with yellow, orange, and reddish tones, can be observed.
Delicate environments
The biological richness of the Tegnùe depends on the balance between currents, sediments, light, and the presence of colonizable surfaces. These are environments to be observed with care and respect, avoiding any unnecessary contact with the rocks and the organisms that inhabit them.
Fish and crustacean fauna
The crevices of the Tegnùe offer refuge to resident species of great interest. It is the ideal environment for mullets, gobies, morays, scorpionfish, and majestic lobsters. Schools of baby hake, also known as potassoli, bass, and, in the warmer months, nudibranchs, mollusks, and small organisms perfect for close observation can also be found.
Seahorses
This area and the surrounding zones have historically been linked to the presence of seahorses, particularly Hippocampus guttulatus. Their presence is an important signal of environmental vitality: they find protection among crevices, hydroids, and submerged structures where they can camouflage and anchor with their prehensile tail.
Geographical and structural features
The rocky formations off the coast of Cavallino Treporti and the Venetian area have peculiar characteristics compared to other stretches of the Venetian coast. They do not emerge as visible cliffs, but develop beneath the surface, resting on sandy-muddy seabeds.
The Tegnùe are generally located at a distance from the coast ranging from about 3 to 7 nautical miles, at depths that vary approximately between 15 and 22 meters.
Sandy-muddy seabed
The rocks rise above a predominantly soft seabed, creating a strong contrast between sand, mud, and hard substrate. It is this sharp transition between different surfaces that makes the Tegnùe so interesting from a naturalistic perspective.
Submerged elevations and small predators
Among the rocks of the Tegnùe, where the outcrops interrupt the sandy seabed and create crevices, shelters, and small cavities, species linked to benthic environments such as the dogfish find space.
Its presence well illustrates the ecological value of these seabeds: they are not just simple submerged rocks, but living environments capable of offering refuge, passage zones, and feeding areas to many forms of life. Observing it among sponges, encrusting organisms, and rocky surfaces helps to understand how important the Tegnùe are for the biological balance of the Upper Adriatic.
