Photo credit © Hans Bezard
Barbana is a place of peace and reflection in the heart of the beautiful Grado Lagoon.
The origins of the church building date back to the 6th century. It is believed that in Roman times, a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo stood here (which is hardly surprising, since, as is so often the case, the site was simply taken over and a church built on top of it).
Barbanus was a 6th-century hermit who lived here and gathered his brothers around him. Barbana was not always an island. However, it is currently unclear whether it was already an island during Barbanus's lifetime.
Grado <> Barbana, ~25 min.
The Nuova Cristina (and, of course, other boats as well) offers a ferry service to Barbana (the trip takes about half an hour). You can purchase tickets directly on board.
APR/MAY | Departures: • 9:30 AM • 10:30 AM • 11:30 AM • 2:00 PM • 3:00 PM
Return: • 11:00 AM • 12:00 PM • 2:30 PM • 4:30 PM |
JUN-SEP | Departures: • 9:30 AM • 10:30 AM • 11:30 AM • 2:00 PM • 3:00 PM • 4:00 PM
Return: • 10:00 AM • 11:00 AM • 12:00 PM • 2:30 PM • 3:30 PM • 4:30 PM • 5:30 PM |
OCT | Departures: • 9:30 a.m. • 10:30 a.m. • 11:30 a.m. • 2:00 p.m. • 3:00 p.m.
Return: • 11:00 a.m. • 12:00 p.m. • 2:30 PM • 4:30 PM |
NOV-MAR | Every Sunday and holiday
Departure: 10:00 AM Return: 12:00 PM |
@ | |
www |
Ceremonial Boat Procession of Perdòn di Barbana Photo credit
Perdòn de Barbana
Religious Procession
Every first Sunday in July, Barbana becomes the setting for the Perdòn de Barbana procession. It is the most important religious festival in Grado, during which the statue of the Madonna and Child is transported by boat from the Basilica of Sant'Eufemia to Barbana.
The procession fulfills an ancient vow made to the Blessed Virgin over 700 years ago by the then-Patriarch Leonardo Querini: to be finally delivered from the plague! According to the vow, he would then bring the statue of the Blessed Virgin from San Eufemia, where it normally stands, to Barbana to commemorate the end of the deadly epidemic.
For this occasion, even the swing bridge in Grado opens to allow the festively decorated and flag-adorned boats to pass. The boat procession is a truly impressive and moving experience.
Cammino Celeste Pilgrimage Route
Cammino Celeste
Pilgrimage Route
The ancient Cammino Celeste pilgrimage route is 210 km long and divided into 11 stages. It connects Grado and Barbana with Aquileia, the ancient patriarchate.
The route leads through Friuli into the Alps to the pilgrimage site of San Lussario (1,766 m above sea level). However, the so-called "Heavenly Path" is not a closed loop but has "feeder routes" from Austria and Slowenia, as well as two additional routes to Losinj.
You can find the Cammino Celeste on Google Maps here, or download it as a GPX file:
- 001_barbana_-_grado.gpx 16 KB
- 002_grado_-_aquileia.gpx 153 KB
- 010_aquileia_-_aiello.gpx 148 KB
- 020_aiello_-_cormo__ns.gpx 165 KB
- 030_cormo__ns_-_cividale.gpx 288 KB
- 042_cividale_-_masarolis.gpx 198 KB