ra st ai M i d o P

F Po Fium iume e P Berra Serravalle o ia Albersano Po di Venez Guarda Alberone Cologna Ferrarese Ponte Punzetti Oasi Ariano Mulino del Po Ferrarese Zerbinate Oasi Stellata Bosco di Pilastri Santa Malcantone Zocca Ro Massenzatica Giustina Contane Ponti Oasi Isola Coccanile Spagna Oasi Bonello Pepoli Oasi Bosco Ravalle Monticelli Pineta di di Porporana S. Giustina Fossadalbero Cesta Mesola Ambrogio S. Biagio Porporana Salvatonica Ruina Ponte S. Pietro Dune Fossili di Mezzogoro Massenzatica Gavello Burana Oasi Isola Pescara Sabbioni Bianca Camatte P Casaglia Zenzalino o d Francolino P i G Francolino Jolanda di Savoia Italba o no Settepolesini Saletta c Oasi Isola The Lagoons of the Po Delta Park 9 Technical notes d ca Copparo i o Ospitale d Bianca FerraraG e o l Corlo Bosco r l Diamantina From Argenta to Comacchio Oasi Bacini o a Depart: Argenta, Centro Culturale Mercato Mesola Zuccherificio Torbiera D Bondeno Argenta o Scortichino Pontelagoscuro n z Tamara Arrive: Comacchio, Duomo di San Cassiano www.ferrarainfo.com e Correggio l Pontelangorino Caprile l Santa Gradizza Oasi Valle a Boara 9 Brazzolo Length: 46,430 km Argenta: Piazza Marconi, 1 • tel. 0532 330276Dindona Bianca Vigarano Ponte Pieve Barco Goro Malborghetto Baura Difficulty level: Comacchio:Gran Bosco Via Mazzini, 4 • tel. 0533 314154 S. Bianca Rodoni di Boara Fossalta della Mesola Vigarano Cassana Sabb. Formignana Oasi Bacini Pontemaodino Pomposa Mizzana Sabb. Gherardi Zuccherificiosuitable for everyone. Level route mainly alongOasi Boschetti S. PietroS. Vittore di Valle GiraldaConnections with other routes oleonico Viconovo Sacca p Mainarda Porotto rese Albarea minor roads with little traffic. a Ferra Contrapò di Goro Gorino Pontegradella rovia 8 Ostellato - Argenta Ferrarese o Id Codigoro Casumaro N olan VillanovaDenore o i V Focomorto Oasi v o d P 10 Mesola - Lidi di Comacchio - Comacchio a P Oasi Canneviè Tresigallo Isola Tieni o C Porticino Railways d Cocomaro Codrea i FinaleReno Centese Vo di Focomorto Ferrara/Ravennala •n Ferrara/Codigoroo Vaccolino NB. AlternativeVolano route: from Argenta take the Emilia Madonna Final Val Alberone Quartesana di Rero Massa MirabelloBoschi Cocomaro Roncodigà Bicycle transport available. Cantone path alongValle the riverLido Reno di as far as Madonna del Oasi di Cona Fiscaglia Nuova Oasi Faro S. Carlo Aguscello Cona Rero Please check timetables and availability. Bosco, then continueVolano on the main road to Anita Buonacompra Boscona Fossanova Masi Torello Parasacco Migliaro Marozzo Valle Gorinodi Gorino Coronella Chiesuol San Marco Bertuzzi del Fosso Info: 892021 • www.trenitalia.com and up onto the Argine Agosta embankment to Scannone di Goro Torre Fossa Ducentola Bivio Id 5 Dodici ro Cornacervina 800 91 50 30 • www.fer.it rejoin the original route. Pilastrello Oasi Borgo S. Anna Correggi via Valcesura Morelli Fossanova Palmirano Fer San Biagio Gorgo Gualdo Argine Agostararese Medelana Lago delle Sant’Agostino Nazioni Oasi Bosco S. Martino Voghenza Masi S. Giacomo Rovereto Lagosanto della Panfilia Chiesa Gaibanella This journey links two of the most important natural zonesMigliarino in the whole province motorboat. Spring and Autumn are also ideal seasons to watch birds here - both Nuova Alberlungo Voghiera S. Vito Renazzo Dosso S. Egidio of Ferrara, the freshwater lagoons of Argenta and the saltwater ones of Comac- because of the number of species visible and for the colours and shapes of the Fium e Re Campolungo Bevilacqua no Gambulaga Corte Oasi MESOLA Poggio RenaticoMontalbano chio. Both are ‘stations’ of the Po DeltaDogato Park and important tourist centres from landscape. Malpasso Corporeno Gaibana Centrale Libolla Oasi Anse Vallive Lido delle Nazioni which to explore the area in diverse and atmosphericOstellato trips on foot,di byOstellato bike or by S. Giuseppe Runco Volania di Comacchio S. Bartolomeo Monestirolo S. Giovanni in Bosco Gallo MarraraMontesanto Sandolo RO Lido di Pomposa Marrara Maiero Comacchio Lido degli Scacchi Quartiere S. Nicolò Portomaggiore Oasi Anse di 10

Cento Spinazzino Bonifica Valle Lepri Portorotta o Porto Garibaldi Ripapersico Portoverrara 8 c

Benvignante Oasi Valle i

P Fattibello o Lido degli Estensi

t d Oasi i del

P Ospital Anse Vallive di Porto a r i Monacale m Bacino di Bando Oasi Lido di Spina i S. M. Codifiume a Valle r o Consandolo Zavelea Oasi Salina di Comacchio r

Bando d Oasi Boccaleone Mezzano Vene di TraghettoTraghetto FERRARA Oasi Bellocchio A La Fiorana Valle Ussarola

FE414 e 4 Oasi r Valle Fossa Valli di Marmorta Argenta di Porto a Val Comacchio Campotto M Oasi Valli Longastrino Oasi di Argenta e San Filo Valle Vacca Marmorta Biagio Oasi Bosco del Boscoforte Traversante F i u m e R e n o Anita Valle Campotto Santa 1:200.000 Lavezzola 5 km Sant’Alberto

Voltana 66 67

Portonovo 9 From Argenta to Comacchio From Argenta to Comacchio 9

From Argenta, a little town renowned for its The freshwater lagoons of Argenta and environmental riches and its museums of land Marmorta, formed by the Reno and fa- reclamation, proceed north-west towards the miliarly known as the Oasi di Campotto, hamlet of La Fiorana (the junction with route th started to form in the 12 Century when n° 8 from Ostellato to Argenta) from which we the Po di Primaro, by then already above goon to Longastrino. Leaving the Argenta the level of the plain and full of sediment, Lagoons behind us and heading towards the was no longer able to deal with the waters Comacchio Lagoons and the sea along the of the various Apennine mountain streams banks of the Reno, we cross sparsely inhab- that flowed into it. Nowadays they func- ited agricultural land and the great plan of tion as an overflow and they are used in the Mantello and Gramigna land reclamation, periods of high water to take water from among lands 1 or 2 metres below sea level the lower Bolognese Plain, which then is used mostly for growing grain. drained away in the river Reno. After the lands of the Mezzano reclamation we The Comacchio Lagoons are a vast depres- enter the Comacchio Lagoons which extend sion between Comacchio and Ostellato to eastwards with such a great surface area you the north, Portomaggiore and Argenta to would think they were the sea. Continue in the the west, and the course of the river Reno direction of Comacchio along the Argine Ago- to the south. The lagoons are a relic of the sta embankment, a long road for mixed traffic ancient Padana delta between the Primaro with no tree cover, which forms the western branch (today the Reno) and the Volano. edge of the lagoons, and probably follows the It is a saltwater zone, in which the salinity line of the Roman road that connected Raven- increases in the summer, characterised by na and Adria. The Argine Agosta finishes in the ancient dunes, natural sandbars and it is of thinning cane brakes of Valle Zavelea, a wet- notable interest above all for the quantity land zone, nowadays fresh water, although it and variety of its bird life, for which the is the remaining part of a much larger area of habitat exerts a great attraction. brackish salty water, and today a Nature re- serve. The long straight roads cross recently

Valli di Comacchio

Comacchio, Ponte Trepponti

reclaimed land, the site of the ancient Etrus- can city of Spina, though you wouldn’t be able An unforgettable to tell this from looking at the surface. trip Turning right from the embankment of the From Stazione Foce there are Valle Fattibello you get to Stazione Foce, excursions every day to visit the old which is Visitor Centre for the Comacchio La- casoni, the fisherman’s buildings in goons and their historic and nature trails; turn- the lagoon area, which have been ing left we continue to the historic centre of transformed into living museums. Comacchio, The town is an island with canals, Booking essential. narrow alleys, bridges, porticoes; mysterious Info tel. 340 2534267 and a romantic atmosphere, the artistic desti- nation of this itinerary.

68 69