Between Water and Rock, We Gather
Lido’s capannine have endured for decades as meeting places between land and sea, heirlooms, and shelters. A reportage by Joe Habben.
Along the Murazzi seawall of Lido, the island standing between the lagoon and the Adriatic Sea, weathered huts rise from the sand, fabricated from driftwood and cloth, shaped by generations of local hands. Each capannina is unique, built from whatever materials the sea provided, whilst carrying the marks of the people who made it.
Now, a court order demands their demolition, citing their ‘illegality’ (due to unauthorized construction and lack of formal permits) despite their decades-long presence and public acknowledgement as part of the typical beach landscape. Nonetheless, local communities are resisting their removal, claiming that the capannine’s unique architectural frames stand as rare examples of public space cared for by those who use it.
