Some 11km south of Aquileia, isolated among lagoons at the end of a causeway, is the ancient island-town of GRADO , through which Aquileia once traded with Syria, Cyprus, Arabia and Asia Minor. But Grado is no miniature Venice, despite its parallel history and situation, the tiny historic centre being all but lost among the concrete buildings of the large, modern resort.

For relaxing on the beach , however, this is one of the best places in the northern Adriatic, the resort extending eastwards along the length of the sandy island. The water is warm and safe as a bath, and almost as shallow - indeed, the name of the town comes from the gentle angle of its shore. The free beaches are at the western end; if you want a locker, deckchair and shower facilities, you will have to pay a few thousand lire to one of the businesses on the Lungomare Adriatico.

It's worth finding the historic centre , however, for its three early-Christian buildings, grouped close together in the heart of a miniature network of old streets. The exteriors are of fairly rustic brick construction, though enlivened by fragments of carved Roman marble. The sixth-century Basilica was heavily restored between the 1930s and 1950s, but preserves a bizarre parade of ill-matched nave pillars topped by an assortment of Corinthian capitals; it's thought that these were borrowed from various Roman buildings in Aquileia. The pulpit is of similarly hybrid origins, perched on six slender Roman columns under a Venetian canopy that resembles an oriental tent. Venice's presence is also felt in the fourteenth-century silver pala on the high altar. The mosaic pavement, while not as impressive as Aquileia's, is beautiful, the pattern being formed by an endless knot.

The adjacent octagonal Baptistry also dates back to the fifth century and the arrival of the first Christians in the lagoon. The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie , on its far side, is from the same period as the basilica, and has another mongrel collection of columns and capitals. From the outside it's possible to see how the ground level has sunk over the centuries.

Ten buses per day make the one-hour run to Udine, and there's also a half-hourly bus connection from Cervignano train station, on the Venice-Trieste line. The best way to visit Grado, though, is by boat from Trieste; on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays the little steamer Dionea calls morning and evening at the Molo Torpediniere on its way from and to the city .

Grado's tourist office , at Viale Dante Alighieri 72 (daily: June-Aug 8am-7pm; Sept-May 9am-6pm; tel 0431.899.220; aptgrado@tin.it ), has details of boats , which run to Venice and Trieste in summer, and the town's hotels , the majority of which are fairly expensive and sometimes insist on your taking full pension. Three cheaper hotels are the Villa Marin , Via dei Provveditori 20 (tel 0431.80.789, fax 0431.85.534; L60,000-90,000/?30.99-46.48), overlooking the seafront wall between the two beaches; the Sirenetta , Via Milano 1 (tel 0431.80.404; L60,000-90,000/?30.99-46.48), on the western beach; and Al Sole Meuble , Viale del Sole 31 (tel & fax 0431.80.370; L60,000-90,000/?30.99-46.48), which is near the beach, but at its eastern end, a good ten minutes' walk from the centre. The best local campsites are at Grado Pineta, around 3km east of the town and served by regular buses: Camping al Bosco (tel 0431.80.485), Camping Punta Spin (tel 0431.80.732) and Camping Europa (tel 0431.80.877).

A cluster of good restaurants is found in the old streets around the basilica. The tiny Santa Lucia (closed Mon), secreted in an alleyway at Calle Corbato 2, serves good pizza, while the Tavernetta all'Androna (closed Mon) is more expensive but has a lovely courtyard under the basilica's east wall. The Enoteca La Sentina , opposite, is good for wine and snacks. For Grado's fish specialities, head just west to Trattoria de Toni , in Piazza Duca d'Aosta, or the Trattoria Alla Borsa , Via Conte di Grado, behind the marina.

A few kilometres westwards across the lagoons lies the purpose-built resort complex of LIGNANO SABBIADORO . Hemingway used to shoot duck on this sandy, pine-wooded peninsula at the mouth of the Tagliamento, but nowadays it appeals to beachniks only and, like Grado, is especially popular with German tourists. Its 100,000-plus beds get booked pretty solid in summer - the tourist office at Via Latisana 42 (daily 8.30am-12.30pm & 3-7pm; tel 0431.71.821) will winkle out whatever hotel and campsite vacancies there are. If you do get washed up here, the wine and cakes at Enoteca-bar Scarpa , Vicolo Marano 9, will cheer you up. LIGNANO PINETA , 4km away east, is less high-rise but equally dedicated to the beach; there's a pleasant campsite here, the Pino Mare (tel 0431.428.454), a few steps from the shore on Viale Adriatico.