Lignano Pineta’s Secret Surfing Society

by Althea Mallee

Photography: Simone De Cillia, Edgar Keller

Surfing isn’t usually the first thought when people think of Italy, let alone the northern Adriatic Sea but for a select few with a passion beating in their hearts and the calls of water whispering on the winds, a chance to surf is never far away. Situated in the middle of a sea by a barrier of land and away from the great pulses of swell surging out in the wide-open ocean, it seems near impossible for waves to generate in Friuli Venezia Giulia, with locals often scoffing at the thought.

But if you’re lucky and get your timing right, you will find surfers riding storm generated waves at Lignano Pineta, and I’m not just talking about the wind surfing variety. Real surfing can be found at Lignano Pineta; although, it can be quite rare.

So how do surfers manage to score waves at Lignano Pineta you might ask? To surf at Lignano Pineta’s pier (the north side known to locals as Stephanie’s Point and the south as Stephanie’s Leftovers) it requires very specific conditions. The Bora, which Triestini know all too well, is the most frequent and famous wind of the Adriatic region. It does have some influence on Lignano Pienta’s wave conditions, but unfortunately for surfers it doesn’t produce enough fetch and is only suitable for windsurfing and kite surfing.

What is needed at Lignano Pineta is strong swells produced by libeccio, ostro and above all sirocco winds from the southeast. When northern-central Italy receives bad weather conditions, sometimes heavy rains and active storm surges arise from the southeast, which thus can generate swells up to 2 meters in height! As the storm’s direction begins to lose its strength or veers away from Italy, it redirects north /northwest with the remainder of this swell, known as the “expired” phase lapping the shores of Lignano Pineta.

Having the least days of surfable waves in all of Italy Lignano Pineta is limited to only 10 to 30 days per year, with most recent times seeing a significant decrease in these surfing opportunities. Sometimes the weather changes so drastically predictions can only be made on the exact day of forecast and even then, it might not happen.

Surfing can be found at any time of the year with winter being the most favorable of all the seasons. Water temperatures can peak to 24 to 28 degrees Celsius in July and then drop significantly during March to just 11 or even 9 degrees Celsius. In these colder winter months, you will see surfers donned with an extensive kit comprised of a thick wetsuit, gloves, and hood, resembling something more of a seal than surfer.

For these dedicated few locals, surfing has become a religion, requiring extreme amounts of dedication and training. It is not uncommon to find surfers consistently checking surf forecasts, anticipating work schedules, and canceling their plans last minute. This is all part of the surfing lifestyle. Often surfing opportunities can last for only few hours with the best conditions lasting for a couple of days, but that is even more rare. Surfers may drive hours away only to be welcomed by a flat sea.

This uncertainty may seem to be particularly maddening for some, but this adventure is precisely what gives surfers their drive. There is no greater feeling than patiently waiting for the stars to align and finally being rewarded by the rushing thrill of gliding down the face of a wave only to be blasted out at the end.

The surf community at Lignano Pineta is a special one and the surfers are nothing but welcoming and friendly. Unlike the more crowded and famous surfing spots that can often result in aggressive and selfish behaviour, Lignano Pineta at most will have 5 or 6 people in the water, with each person taking their turn and cheering each other on with “vai, vai, vai!”

Special thanks to meteorologist and surfer Michele Cioria for his detailed weather depictions and to photographer Simone De Cillia (Instagram @simonedecillia) and Edgar Keller for their rare captures of Lignano Pineta’s surf community.