snakeCTFThe SnakeCTF 2025 Finals will take place at Bella Italia / EFA Village in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy.
The venue is a large sports and events complex right by the seaside, equipped with accommodation buildings, sports facilities, dining halls, and large event spaces.
Our venue, the EFA Village, has several facilities. Showers will be available for all teams troughout the CTF.
Additionally, an Olympic swimming pool is present just below the game arena. Access to the swimming pool is allowed only when the EFA Village's lifeguard personell is present onsite. We are still clarifying to see whether participants not accommodated at the venue may be granted access to the facility. We will update this section accordingly.
An extensive gym with a fully equipped fitness room is also available within the EFA Village.
Lignano Sabbiadoro is reasonably well-connected with the Italian rail network, and local airports, but does not have a train station. The closest train station is Latisana-Lignano-Bibione, located in Latisana, and adjacent to the Latisana Bus Station. When reaching Lignano, you will need to stop in Latisana.
Teams wishing to travel by air should consider flying to Trieste Ronchi dei Legionari (TRS), which is connected to Latisana with frequent direct trains that leave from the airport.
Intercontinental flights are not usually available directly from TRS. The closest alternative airport is Venice Marco Polo (VCE). VCE is not currently connected to the rail network, and won't be connected until the end of 2026 (hopefully in time for SnakeCTF 2026). Therefore connections from VCE to Latisana are not so easy and you will need to take bus and train.
We recommend preferring TRS over VCE whenever possible.
Bus connections to and from VCE are provided by multiple operators, not all of them publish their timetables to major aggregators. In particular, for lines operated by ATVO, we recommend checking their website directly.
ATVO provides direct bus service between VCE and Latisana, this is the fastest way to reach Latisana from VCE, but connections are not very frequent. The alternative route from VCE to Latisana is via the Venezia Mestre train station. Buses from VCE to Venezia Mestre are provided by both ATVO and the City of Mestre. From Venezia Mestre, frequent direct trains allow you to reach Latisana.
The third airport close to Latisana, is Treviso Airport (TSF), with national and international flights operated mostly by low cost airlines. Connections to Latisana are via Bus or Bus and Rail. We don't recommend flying to TSF.
If you are travelling by train, going via Venice is a good option, and is the only line to Latisana served by the Italian High Speed Rail Network. Other lines are also available to reach Latisana from Ljubljana, Munich, Wien, via day or night train. Both high speed and regional trains are generally good. The two train operators that run trains to Latisana are Italo and Trenitalia, we can recommend you purchase tickets directly on their website and not through other intermediaries in order to get the best price.
Additionally, be careful when purchasing international train routes on combined tickets; these tickets may not offer you delay protection. National tickets are subject to traveller rights regulations, and in case of significant delays the train operator will either accommodate you in a hotel, or place you on a taxi to your final destination.
Public bus is available from Latisana to Lignano, with buses leaving approximately every hour, operated by TPL-FVG.
Provided we don't have any unexpected issues with budget, we are also planning to provide a shuttle service for all teams from Latisana train station to Lignano Sabbiadoro. Shuttle service will in no case be provided if your time of arrival in Latisana is close to the departure of a regular public bus to Lignano.
Lignano Sabbiadoro is a seaside town on the Adriatic coast, known for its long sandy beaches and summer tourism.
Lignano Sabbiadoro is divided longitudinally in three districts: Riviera, Pineta and Sabbiadoro. Our venue is located in a natural reserve area, halfway between Sabbiadoro and Pineta.
In summer, Lignano is very active and bursts with life, with crowded golden beaches, open-air bars, clubs, and lively streets full of tourists. In November, the tourist season is over, and Lignano is a ghost town giving off strong Chernobyl vibes. Nevertheless, Lignano is still beautiful also in the winter, and you will find yourself immersed in a calm and relaxing atmosphere. Most shops and restaurants in the Pineta and Riviera area are closed; Sabbiadoro has a few open restaurants also in the winter. One of the few open supermarkets is located near the venue for participants that need to purchase ordinary items.
Lignano is generally very safe, but take normal precautions with valuables. Take additional care when travelling, especially at the Venice Mestre train station and nearby areas.
Schedule is tentative and may be subject to changes.
20 November
21 November
22 November
23 November
Pack adequate clothing. Weather may change rapidly. Temperatures easily go below 0°C.
Average seawater temperature in November is 14°C; swimming may be possible if weather is sunny and you are prepared for cold water.
Various indoor swimming pools are also available. Packing a swimming suit is recommended.
Make sure to pack a travel adapter; we will provide your table with one Type L 16A plug (Italian 16A plug). Please also have a look at the rules for more information on the required technical equipment for the CTF.
Refreshments will be provided troughout the entire event, in the game arena. We will update this section with more info soon.
Tap water in the FVG Autonomous Administrative Region of Italy, where Lignano is located, is among the highest quality in the world and is not only completely safe but a pleasure to drink.
Consider bringing your own water bottle with you, so that you can refill it with pure and refreshing water from any tap at the venue.
Teams that benefit from free accommodation will be accommodated at the venue, in a separate building. Accommodation includes:
Reinforced breakfast, or reinforced lunch/dinner, are available, but not covered in the accommodation package.
Food is covered starting from the dinner or first day of the stay, up to the lunch of the last day.
Teams that do not benefit from free accommodation need to provide their own accommodation.
We have partnerships in place with both the venue, and an external property management agency.
The venue offers accommodation packages from 43€ to 76€ per person per night, including food. Accomodation is in shared rooms of up to 8 people, with smaller rooms available on request.
Our partner property management agency offers apartments from 16.60€ to 35.00€ per person per night, excl. food, located outside the venue, in various areas of Lignano Sabbiadoro, all within walking distance to the venue.
You are of course also welcome to make arrangements on your own.
Partner contacts and accommodation pictures:
EFA Village (venue): info@bellaitaliavillage.com / bellaitaliavillage.com
FittoFatto (property management agency): +39 331 737 0770 / fittofatto.it
When calling please highlight that you are from the SnakeCTF Event that is taking place from 20 to 23 November. You will receive a discounted offer.
Update (17 Oct 2025):
If you are booking at the EFA Village (venue), please do so via email only, by writing to info@bellaitaliavillage.com and by putting info@madrhacks.org in cc. We will make sure you are offered the discounted price reserved for participants.
Guidelines for booking at FittoFatto (property mangaement agency) remains invariated, the reserved discount will be applied on request when specifying that you are a SnakeCTF participant.
If you have any questions, or would you like tips or suggestions in planning your stay in Lignano, feel free to ask via ticket!
SnakeCTF is taking place at EFA Village, Lignano Sabbiadoro. Please take a moment to review the following safety and emergency guidelines.
The security and first aid teams are here to help you throughout the whole event. If you have any questions regarding safety and security or first aid, ask any one of us roaming the venue or call/text an admin via Discord. All official SnakeCTF Staff wear red t-shirts. If you need help, look for someone in a red t-shirt.
Smoking and vaping is allowed only outdoors in designated smoking areas.
Please remember that when entering and inside the venue, you must always have your badge visible.
When to call a SnakeCTF Staff member:
Try to call a SnakeCTF Staff member first, EXCEPT if:
In these cases, call straight to the emergency number, and after that come to us so we know to guide the emergency services to the right place.
In Italy, we only use one emergency number, 112. You can call the emergency number free of charge from any phone with no need for an area code.
You can also call from a foreign mobile phone connection. You still won't need an area code, just dial 112.
We recommend downloading the 112 Where ARE U app from your app store.
The ERC operator automatically obtains your location when calling through the app.
This way you speed up the emergency services and you don't need to know your exact location.
Please have a look at our Code of Conduct. You can find it here.
Additionally, please take care of venue and items you will find there. We will be bringing lots of technical equipment at the venue for the event, most of which lended to us as a favor by volunteers, and we are unable to monitor it 24/7. They are therefore entrusted to the good faith, respect, and common sense of all participants. Likewise please be respectful of belongings of other participants, and report any found items to SnakeCTF Staff.