The ancient Pickling Factory (Manifattura dei Marinati) in Comacchio is an important piece of local history, as it has revitalized and showcased the entire working cycle of eels.
Half factory and half museum, this place shows how it was (and still is) the processing of eel, not just a typical product of Comacchio’s tables, but in the past a real livelihood for many local families.
The eels were in fact fished in the brackish valleys that surround the city, through a capture system called lavoriero: a V-shaped construction consisting of poles and grids, in which the eels remained blocked during their movement from the valley to the sea for the reproduction; the lavorieri are still visible and can be visited with a boat excursion to the fishing lodges in the Comacchio Valleys.
The eels were then processed and stored according to a marinating process that remained unchanged over time, which is visible in some parts of the year even live in the Manifattura (info: 0533.81742 – manifatturadeimarinati@parcodeltapo.it).
At the end of the visit, a walk through the canals and bridges of Comacchio, perhaps stopping in one of the many fish restaurants, will be the delicious final touch.
- The Pickling Factory of Comacchio | Ph. Francesco1978
- Ancient fishing lodges | Ph. francesco_1978
- Comacchio | Ph. Vanni Lazzari, via WLM