Ottagono Ca' Roman

Ottagono Ca' Roman is a small artificial island in the southern Venetian Lagoon, covering about 2,000 square metres. Its octagonal outline has sides of roughly 20 metres, and its position guarded the passage between the lagoon and the Adriatic Sea.

The Republic of Venice built it in the sixteenth century as one of five octagonal fortresses responding to naval threats and conflict with the Ottoman Empire. Later, the island gained stronger walls during the War of Candia, while French and Austrian forces added defensive works, including casemates and artillery positions. A Second World War bunker and the remains of a watchtower still stand beside the high walls. After 1990, Villaggio Marino di Ca' Roman enabled stays for families and people with disabilities, while restoration plans proposed repaired walls, renewed military structures, removable accommodation, and a restaurant using lagoon water for heating and cooling.

The surrounding lagoon remains one of its most ecologically preserved sections. Local stone walking paths and maritime planting form part of the proposed landscape, linking military history with a new use for the island.