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F Po Fium iume e P 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 Mezzogoro Dune Fossili di Gavello Burana Oasi Isola Pescara Sabbioni Massenzatica Bianca Camatte P Casaglia FrancolinoFrancolino Zenzalino o d P i G Italba o no Settepolesini c d ca Oasi Isola Saletta i o Ospitale GORINO FERRARESE d Bianca G e o l The Lands of the Primaro Bosco l Corlo r Diamantina o a Torbiera Mesola D o Scortichino From to Argenta n 1 Oasi Bacini z Tamara Caprile e Correggio l Zuccherificio Pontelangorino l Santa Pontelagoscuro Gradizza Oasi Valle a Boara Brazzolo Dindona Bianca Vigarano Oasi Goro Ponte Pieve BONDENO Gran Bosco Baura S. Bianca Rodoni Mizzana Malborghetto Fossalta Pomposa Oasi della Mesola Vigarano Cassana di Boara Sabb. Oasi Bacini Pontemaodino Boschetti Sabb. Gherardi Zuccherificio Pomposa di Valle Contrapò S. Pietro S. Vittore oleonico Giralda Sacca di Goro p Mainarda Porotto Viconovo a Ferrara se Albarea Gorino are 5 Ferrarese 2 Pontegradella err Casumaro N a F Villanova Denore o vi Oasi v ro Oasi Canneviè a 3 Id I Isola Tieni C no d ola Codrea ro Final Porticino Po di V Cocomaro vi FinaleReno Centese a di Rero Po o di Focomorto Fe di Volan Volano r Vaccolino Emilia Madonna ra Val Alberone Quartesana r MirabelloBoschi Cocomaro e Roncodigà Massa Cantone Valle Aguscello di Cona s Oasi e Nuova Oasi Faro S. Carlo Boscona Cona Rero Migliaro Valle Gorinodi Gorino Buonacompra Coronella Chiesuol Fossanova Parasacco Marozzo Torre San Marco Bertuzzi del Fosso Fossa Ducentola Bivio Scannone di Goro Oasi Correggi Cornacervina Dodici Pilastrello Valcesura Morelli Fossanova Palmirano Borgo S. Anna San Biagio Gorgo Gualdo Medelana Lago delle Sant’Agostino Voghenza Masi S. Giacomo Oasi Bosco S. Martino Rovereto Nazioni della Panfilia Chiesa Gaibanella Migliarino Nuova Alberlungo S. Egidio Renazzo Dosso Oasi Fium S. Vito Corte Centrale e Re Campolungo Malpasso Bevilacqua no Dogato Poggio RenaticoMontalbano Gambulaga P Gaibana Libolla Corporeno o Oasi Anse Vallive d i di Ostellato P Monestirolo Runco Ostellato S. Giuseppe rim S. Giovanni Volania S. Bartolomeo aro di in Bosco Montesanto Gallo Sandolo Marrara Maiero Po di Primaro Comacchio Quartiere Cento S. Nicolò A long journey through the heart of the ancientOasi Anse delta di of the Po river, that goes Spinazzino Valle Lepri Portorotta Passo Portoverrara deep into the classic countryside to the south of Ferrara, along the course of the Po Segni Bova Ripapersico di Primaro as far as Traghetto, where the Primaro flows into the River Reno.Oasi The Valle

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BOLOGNA o th Fattibello

route goes as far as Argenta, the 6 ‘station’ of the Po Delta Park, with its nature d

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P Ospital Anse Vallive di Porto r reserves and Ecomuseo, its lagoons, and its museums dedicated to the relationship i m Monacale Bacino di Bando Oasi S. Maria a Valle Zavelea r Codifiume o Consandolo between the inhabitants and the waters that have for so long surrounded it. Oasi Salina di Comacchio Boccaleone Bando S. Pietro Capofiume Oasi OSTELLATO Traghetto Oasi Vene di Traghetto COMACCHIO 4 Technical notes Ferrara Bellocchio Fiume Reno La Fiorana Valle Ussarola Mare Argenta Depart: Ferrara, Piazza Savonarola ArgentaValli di Adriatico Marmorta Arrive: Argenta, Centro Culturale Mercato Oasi Valle Malvezza 8 Fossa di Porto Comacchio Molinella Val Length: 41,660 km www.ferrarainfo.com Dugliolo Campotto 9 Difficulty level: suitable for everyone. Ferrara: Oasi Longastrino Valle Vacca Oasi Valli San LevelFilo route mainly along minor roads. Castello Estense • tel. 0532 299303 di Argenta e Biagio Marmorta Argenta: Oasi Bosco del S. Martino in Argine Piazza Marconi, 1 • tel. 0532 330276Boscoforte Traversante Railways Fiume Ren Anita Valle Ferrara/Ravenna o Campotto Santa Connections with other routes Bicycle transport available. 1:200.000 S. Antonio 8 Ostellato - Argenta 5 km Please check timetables and availability. Info: 892021 • www.trenitalia.com 9 Argenta - Comacchio

46 47 4 From Ferrara to Argenta From Ferrara to Argenta 4

Traces of an ancient river

At the time when Ferrara was founded, the Po di Primaro was one of the two principal branches of the Po along with the Po di Volano. In the 12th Century a series of floods near Ficarolo sent the water north, and the Primaro began a slow decline followed by increased height of the river-bed. To- day it is a relief canal for water from land reclamation, a modest watercourse that ends its course at Traghetto at a pump- ing station beneath the embankment of the river Reno, to which is has given over its own bed as far as the Adriatic. Argenta, Pieve di San Giorgio Argenta, Saiarino Water Works The River Reno marks the southern boundary of the . and proceed along the left-hand side of the Final destination of this route, Argenta is a Bonifica) inside the Saiarino Water Works, This watercourse, mostly active after Primaro as far as Ospital Monacale, where town, probably Roman in origin, which in the which demonstrates, through the machines storms, was for centuries the source of we turn onto a stretch of the main road as middle ages passed from the Archbishop of and descriptions of their use, the history terrible floods due above all to it flow- far as Traghetto, there to climb up onto the Ravenna to the Este family. Today it is a modern of the works to drain the area of Argenta. ing into the plain without a way out to embankment of the Reno which we follow as thriving tourist centre. Towards Campotto About 4 km further on is the nature reserve the sea, it now has a mouth in the Adri- far as the cycleable bridge over the river. At you pass in front of the atmospheric Pieve di Oasi delle Valli di Argenta e Marmorta, which atic along the bed of the former Po di this point, we switch to the minor road at the San Giorgio, the oldest church in the province extends over an area of 1600 hectares with Primaro. base of the embankment, reaching Argenta (6th Century); in the immediate vicinity there grand lakes and the Traversante woodlands, along Via Cardinala. is a museum of land reclamation (Museo della typical of the hygrophilous woodlands of the region, and home to numerous species of animals and especially birds. The main part of From the Este castle at Ferrara proceed via the Ecomuseum is situated here in the Casino Via to the south of the city and turn di Campotto at the entrance to the reserve, onto the path beneath the walls; after the and its an unmissable part of this voyage of cycle/pedestrian bridge over the Po di Volano, discovery into the nature and countryside of turn left into Via Putinati towards Torre Fossa. Ferrara. The road winds torturously along the former course of the Po di Primaro, through places whose names come from being on the river, eg. Torre Fossa and Fossanova. Near the village of Sant’Egidio there is the sanctuary of The Ecobus is a gas-powered the Beata Vergine del Poggetto, a modest and shuttle bus which runs excur- graceful building that houses a venerated sions into the Val Campotto reserves image of the Madonna. Numerous aristocratic in full respect for the environment homes of some architectural merit border the and sustainable ecology. route as far as Marrara, then Bova. After the hamlet of Bova, we cross the river

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