Cemetery of the Burci – Silea, Italy - Atlas Obscura

Cemetery of the Burci

Silea, Italy

A haunting collection of sunken wooden barges litters this Italian river bend. 

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In the late 1970s, many wooden barges used to transport goods between Venice and Treviso,  known as “burci,” were abandoned along the banks of a bend in the Sile River. Exposed to the weather and the river’s flowing water, the boats gradually sunk and start rotting. Many of them can still be seen in the water at the Cimitero dei Burci, or Cemetery of the Burci.

Now they are partially embedded in the muddy riverbed, slowly being colonized by plants and aquatic wildlife. River birds use them as a nest, while fish, and amphibia use them as a shelter from predators.

Know Before You Go

The Sile Greenway is a bike and pedestrian trail that runs on the river banks from Treviso to the seaside. It starts from Ponte della Gobba in Treviso downtown and arrives to Jesolo, on the Adriatic sea. The cemetery is approximately 7km far from Treviso.

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July 5, 2019

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