Rovigo and the Polesine. Have you ever heard of “pink oysters”?

Discovering the POLESINE means taking an unprecedented journey out of the usual patterns, from the usual destinations, from the consolidated traditional Italian itineraries.

It’s a bit of an adventure that leaves a strong and indelible mark on the protagonist.

In Polesine there is an unexpected artistic and cultural heritage: it is a corner of the world to explore and discover, a rare example of a place where ancient history and tradition are accompanied by a dynamic and sparkling environment, preserved from the wild modern development.

It is a territory with a human dimension, forged by man who tamed its waters and governed its borders.

Places where you can breathe history, the life of the past, where you can imagine the rites, habits, the events of the characters, families, the illustrious personalities who lived and worked in Polesine in different historical moments.

And then the museums, many large and small realities that preserve finds and testimonies of different eras and through which you can get in direct contact with the traditions and history of this territory.

Let’s start with ROVIGO the main city of The Polesine province, caressed by the breeze that comes from the Adriatic Sea, and tied with a narrow line to the longest Italian river, the Po, than the canals, the lagoons and the Delta.

Rovigo is small, intimate, much less touristy and commercial than other Venetian cities. Rovigo is less conspicuous than other Venetian towns, but for many it represents an artistic, cultural and environmental discovery.

Due to the fact that is little known, it is even more precious! Inlaid between two great rivers – the Po and the Adige – the city feels the presence of the water that permeates its history and its territory.

Two towers rise and are remnants of the ancient medieval fortification, Torre Donà, emblem of the city, and Torre Mozza. In the square Piazza Vittorio Emanuele a column with the lion of San Marco recalls the power of the Serenissima – Venice – dominating the entire area.

In Rovigo one can truly see, admire, appreciate valuable and important works of art and monuments.

Alone the number of historic villas and palaces in the 50 municipalities of the province of Rovigo amaze even those who have always lived here.

In the Polesine countryside the rich Venetians built their summer holidays villas away from the city. Fratta Polesine, 15 km from Rovigo, hosts  Villa Badoer, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful Palladian villas.

The various canals among plains built by the Republic of Venice during the Remediation are numerous, crossed by roads built on the banks.  These paths are fascinating cycling routes that follow the winding course of the waterways.

Gliding silently between reed beds and solitary beaches you can fully appreciate the environment of the Veneto Regional Park of the Po Delta, one of the most suggestive natural oasis in Italy.

There are  40 kilometers on low-traffic and flat roads available, which are immersed in the extraordinary natural environment of the Po Delta Park. The path that leads from the hamlet of Portesine di Rosolina to Porto Tolle is a enchanting itinerary, suitable to be faced at the slow pace of cycling.

Porto Tolle the main of all the Po river branches leads to the sea, is enclosed between the branches of Po di Maistra and Po di Gnocca and is cut in half by the Po di Venezia.

These branches create three islands: the island of Cà Venier, the island of Donzella and the island of Polesine Camerini. Almost the entire territory of Porto Tolle is located two meters below sea level and is located in an area torn from the sea and the river in the 1600.

The territory of Porto Tolle is unique in its kind and is characterized by marshes, “barene”, inlets, “scanni”, islands with sandy beaches still not anthropized, branches of the abandoned river, gorges, pockets and lagoons including the fascinating and panoramic Sacca degli Scardovari. Sacca degli Scardovari is the largest lagoon formed by the waters of the Po and is also the ideal habitat of the famous DOP-branded mussels of Scardovari, which find here one of the most intense breeding places.

Along the road that runs along the bag – beautiful to do by bike – you can closely observe the various phases of aquaculture.

Here fishing has always been one of the most important activities for the local economy, and the growing of mussels and clams has become increasingly important.

At the end of the 60’s, the Sacca di Scardovari was used as a breeding ground for this purpose. Here mussels are bred in floating plants (offshore) with suspension farming systems (long-line). It is the peculiarity of the brackish environment of the lagoons of the Po Delta that gives the Scardovari mussel a decidedly superior quality and a particularly delicate taste.

Shellfish farming in the lagoons of the Polesine is carried out in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way and is not in opposition to the environment but are complementary aspects that feed each other.

The most favourable period for consumption is from April to September

Also very famous are the “THE PINK OYSTERS” from the Po Delta, born by a great idea of Alessio Greguoldo. Today his product is considered among the best in the world.

The pink oyster grows in a complex balance between salty and sweet waters through a very special suspension system.

Oysters are attached to ropes and alternate periods of immersion with periods of emergence.

Exposure to the air and sun simulates the alternation of tides. The technical process of breeding our beloved oysters is totally sustainable, in fact powered by clean energy, wind and solar.

For those who want to discover beautiful landscapes we suggest the Ca’ Mello Oasis.

This freshwater swamp of about 40 hectares is located in the southern part of the Po Delta.

Important naturalistic area for the conservation of biodiversity.

Easily accessible, the route develops between dense reeds and aquatic plants whose flowers, in summer, color a landscape to be explored. Yellow bladder grass – a rare carnivorous plant -, white elderberry flowers, violet sea astro and flaming red salicornia veneta – precious species endemic to the lagoons of the northern Adriatic-.

And then they, the water birds, who here have found an ideal habitat for reproduction and feeding. Do not forget to go to the Visitor Centre, housed in the traditional houses (grata tera, in local dialect) where once lived the peasants of the lower Polesine.

Recently restored, the Centre hosts a permanent exhibition that tells the story of the Oasis.

Just have a little patience and place yourself in the huts equipped for birdwatching: with a bit of luck in front of your eyes will parade herons, ducks, water hens and coots, coon, egrets, bitterns and cannaiole.

Look up and you will most likely see the marsh hawk as it flies over the reeds in search of small prey.

Rosolina is located in an area characterized by vegetable gardens and unique and unrepeatable environment of the immense lagoon of Caleri and fishing valleys. Its origins are ancient as evidenced by the route of the ancient Via Popillia and the presence of what remains of the dunous cordon.

One of the most visited places of Rosolina remains the Botanical Garden Litoraneo located in Porto Caleri, which preserves a unique environment of considerable scientific interest.

You can visit on foot along the characteristic wooden walkways and you can observe the vegetation typical of the coastal-marine environment.

In its 24 hectares of extension is concentrated about ten eco-systems: from the pine forest to the duny coast and the wetland of brackish water, for a total of about 220 plant species. Interesting is the presence of stable internal dunes, no longer subject to the action of the wind, both mobile dunes in the process of formation.