welcome aboard!

DISCOVER THE SOUL OF THE ADRIATIC FOREST AND GREEN LAGOONS

You’re standing on more than just a boat — you’re floating through centuries of history, craftsmanship and forest heritage that have shaped the Adriatic coast. This vessel is part of the Interreg project TOFOLA, a cross-border journey between Italy and Croatia, bringing back to life the traditional wooden boats of the Serenissima Republic of Venice.
Every curve of its hull, every fiber of its timber, tells a story — not only of seafaring excellence but of forests, artisans and communities bound together by water, wood and will.

Two Boats, One Legacy: Batana and Bragozzo

This project brings to life two iconic wooden boats: the Batana and the Bragozzo — living symbols of maritime culture in the Northern Adriatic.

  • The Batana is small, flat-bottomed and incredibly agile — once the humble workboat of Rovinj’s coastal fishers. Designed to navigate shallow lagoons and narrow canals, it embodies simplicity, efficiency and elegance.

  • The Bragozzo, larger and more robust, was a mainstay of Adriatic fishing fleets from the 18th century onward. With its distinctive broad hull and colourful lateen sails, it offered stability and endurance, perfect for longer voyages along the Venetian coast.

These vessels are not mere reconstructions; they are renewed symbols of cultural continuity, craftsmanship and ecological respect.
Each boat invites you on a journey through history, forest and sea. Through TOFOLA — Tourism in the Forest and Green Lagoons of the Adriatic — Italy and Croatia come together to revalue the wooden naval heritage of the Serenissima by fostering local wood supply chains and inclusive, sustainable tourism routes.
These boats sail again not only through water, but through memory, identity and vision.

From the Forest to the Sea: A Journey Rooted in Sustainability

The wood that forms this boat doesn’t come from afar. It is the product of a short, transparent and sustainable supply chain, carefully sourced from certified forests in Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Istria.

Venice practiced sustainability before the world even had a name for it.
Venice once ruled the seas thanks to its forests. Ancient woodlands such as Cansiglio, Montello and Somadida were carefully managed to supply the Arsenal with oak, beech, larch, and fir — each chosen for strength, flexibility or resilience.

Venice left us an important legacy of regulation and sustainability rules to manage the forests, that was highly advanced for that time. The forests were mapped, surveyed and split into sections, with “Forest Captains” in charge of overseeing the cutting. It was an early form of sustainable forestry, aimed at natural regeneration and long-term forest conservation.

Logs travelled downstream via rivers like the Piave and Brenta, through an intricate network of canals, wooden slides (risine) and temporary dams (stue). These waterways were not just scenic routes; they were timber highways, efficiently connecting the mountains to the lagoon.

 

Wood floated on rafts, navigating the rivers until it reached Venice — ready to be transformed into warships, merchant vessels, gondolas or floating masterpieces. This was a short, river-based, and sustainable supply chain, a model of circular resource use centuries before modern sustainability practices.

Today, TOFOLA revives this tradition with certified local wood, guaranteeing low environmental impact and transparency at every step. Using local timber significantly reduces transport emissions, enhances material traceability and revitalizes traditional forestry sectors. Local species — such as oak, beech, larch and elm — provide a balance between technical performance and environmental integrity. Thanks to low-impact harvesting practices and forest certifications (such as FSC/PEFC), these materials offer durability, natural beauty, and a lighter ecological footprint compared to exotic or imported woods.

This choice is not just ecological. It is also cultural. It supports local economies, preserves historic forestry knowledge and ensures that our boats respect the past while safeguarding the future.

    Craftsmanship and Memory: The Art of Boatbuilding

    Once the wood reached Venice, it was transformed by thousands of artisans who combined art, technique, and respect for raw materials: the remèri (oar makers), marangoni (carpenters) and calafati (caulkers). Ancient guilds like the Mariégole regulated knowledge, training and work quality. Every part of a ship had its own type of wood, its specific function and its place of origin.

    Step closer and you’ll see evidence of time-honored techniques: carvel, clinker, strip planking. These methods, once passed to apprentice in hidden boatyards, are today being revived. Students, artisans, engineers and shipyards collaborate to pass on skills while innovating with precision tools. Ancient techniques are today enhanced by digital 3D scanning and reverse engineering.

    By breathing new life into historical models like the batana, leut, gajeta and trabakul, we’re not only preserving boat forms but a story of sustainability, tradition, and ingenuity that reminds us how much the past can still teach us about our relationship with the environment.

    Looking Ahead: Accessible and Ecological Future

    The TOFOLA boats don’t only reflect the past, they are designed for the future. Each vessel is equipped with a low-impact propulsion system, chosen to reduce emissions and noise pollution during navigation. This approach supports the protection of lagoon and coastal environments, ensuring that beauty and biodiversity remain intact for generations to come.

    Moreover, both boats have been configured to be accessible to all, including individuals with reduced mobility, sensory disabilities or other impairments. Boarding systems, seating arrangements and user interfaces have been thoughtfully designed with universal accessibility in mind, following co-design and usability testing with real users.

    These inclusive and ecological features ensure that the story of the TOFOLA boats — and the landscapes they cross — is open and enjoyable for everyone.

    SAIL THE TIMBER ROUTES OF THE PAST
    EXPERIENCE NEW ITINERARIES

    Each TOFOLA boat opens the door to immersive tourist routes that reconnect coastal towns to their inland forests. Each boat is part of a voyage linking historic forests to lagoon landscapes through accessible, inclusive and experiential tourism:

    From Motovun Woods to Istrian shores

    From Cansiglio Forest to the Po delta

    From Carnia forests to Marano lagoon

    From Lowland Woods to Caorle lagoon

    These are inclusive, low-impact experiences designed for everyone, inviting you to explore hidden Adriatic stories, where every stop reveals the intertwined destinies of nature, culture and innovation.

    WHY IT MATTERS

    Choosing to sail this boat means choosing to care. You support:

    • Local, sustainable forestry
    • Traditional boatbuilding and artisan work
    • New, inclusive forms of tourism
    • A shared ecological and cultural legacy

    These boats carry a message of respect for wood, for water, for time. Let’s sail together toward the future.

    LEARN MORE ABOUT TOFOLA PROJECT

    Listen, Watch, Learn. Your journey continues digitally. Through this website you’ll find:

    • Short videos evoking the lives of those who crafted and sailed these boats
    • Cultural stories about the shared maritime identity of Italy and Croatia
    • Interactive maps of your boat’s route and the forest it came from

    Visit the official website.