Motta di Livenza: Sacred History and River Landscapes

Motta di Livenza is a small town on the water between the Livenza and Monticano rivers. Sacred history, waterscapes, cycling and local cuisine give the destination a range of different highlights. When choosing a hotel, it helps to first consider whether historical sites, a bike ride or regional specialties will be the main focus of your stay.

Sacred History and Cultural Sites

The Santuario Basilica Madonna dei Miracoli is associated with the apparition of the Madonna in Motta di Livenza on March 9, 1510. Soon afterward, numerous pilgrims came to the site of the apparition. The date and the subsequent influx of pilgrims give the basilica a specific historical point of reference.

The Cappella dell’Apparizione contains a crypt beneath the altar. In a marble niche there, a very old statue of the Virgin and Child is venerated.

The present-day Duomo di Motta di Livenza was built from 1516 onward, to a design by Antonio Buora. The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista is considered the oldest church in the city; its origins date back to the early days of Christianity in the Veneto. Motta thus brings together different periods: a building with a clearly dated start in the 16th century and a church whose origins reach back to early Christianity.

The Fondazione Giacomini is also part of the city’s cultural profile. It is a cultural center with a tourist information office and preserves a sketch by Pellizza da Volpedo. Alongside its sacred history, Motta di Livenza is therefore also associated with a specific work of art.

Waterscapes and Cycling Routes

The Livenzetta Canal runs through the center in the Livenza’s former riverbed. The canal’s course connects today’s waterscape with a former riverbed, adding a feature in the heart of the city to Motta’s location between the Livenza and Monticano.

The Passerella degli Alpini is a natural starting point for bike rides. Its lattice structure, built in the 1930s, spans the Livenza. Parco Spinade offers another point of orientation: it is integrated into the urban fabric, and the area has a combined cycling and pedestrian path that serves as a starting point for trips into the surrounding countryside.

The Giro di Villanova provides a specific route description: from Riviera Scarpa to Villa Rietti-Rota, the cycling route follows the TV2. The two estates are stops for viewing from the outside. The cycling options thus differ: a starting point at the Passerella, a cycling and pedestrian path within the urban fabric, and a route with named endpoints along the TV2.

Local Cuisine and Wine Region

Motta di Livenza is known for Sopa Coada, a thick soup usually made with stale bread, broth, Grana cheese and pigeon meat. In the Motta version, chicken replaces pigeon; restaurants serve the dish in winter. For anyone interested in local cuisine, it is a distinctive regional specialty with a clear variation from the usual recipe.

Part of the Motta di Livenza area belongs to the production zones specified in the DOC Lison-Pramaggiore regulations.

Discover more destinations: Cavaso Del Tomba, Meduna Di Livenza, Chiarano, Pezzan, Colle Umberto, Crespignaga, Soligo, Villa di Villa

Go to the main travel overview: Treviso.