Along the di Volano 6 Technical notes Pomposa Second stage - From to Depart: Ostellato, Piazza Repubblica Ostellato ra st Arrive: , Abbazia di Pomposa www.ferrarainfo.com ai M i d Length: 29,910 km Ferrara: o P Difficulty level: suitable for everyone. Level Castello Estense • tel. 0532 299303 Codigoro: route mainly along cycle paths (partly on dirt F Po track). Some stretches along minor roads with Abbazia di Pomposa • tel. 0533 719110 Fium iume e P Serravalle little traffic. o Connections with other routes ia Albersano Po di Venez Guarda Alberone Cologna Railways Ferrarese Ponte 5 Ferrara - Ostellato Oasi Punzetti Ferrara/Codigoro Ariano 7 Ro - Ostellato Mulino del Po BicycleFerrarese transport available. Zerbinate Please check timetables and availability. 8 OstellatoOasi - Argenta Stellata Bosco di Pilastri Info: 800 91 50 30 • www.fer.it 10 MesolaSanta - Lidi di - Comacchio Malcantone Zocca Ro Massenzatica Giustina Contane Ponti Oasi Isola Coccanile Spagna Oasi Bonello Pepoli Oasi Bosco Ravalle Codigoro Monticelli Pineta di di Porporana S. Giustina Fossadalbero Cesta Mesola Ambrogio S. Biagio Porporana Salvatonica RuinaFrom Ostellato, the meetingPonte place S. Pietro of many journeys and an agreeable centre for a born out of the left flankDune Fossiliof the di Po di Volano, more evidence of how everything Mezzogoro Massenzatica Gavello Burana Oasi Isola Pescara Sabbioni Bianca visitCamatte to nature reserves, the route follows the Po di Volano, identified in the Etrus- in the Ferrarese lands is determined by the presence of water. The journeyP arrives Casaglia Zenzalino o d Francolino P i G Francolino Codigoro ItalbaPomposa Abbey o no Settepolesini can Salettaperiod with the mythical Eridano. It visits , whose name derives finally at the splendid , one of the most important examplesc of Oasi Isola d ca i o Ospitale d Bianca G e o l Corlofrom Caput Gauri and indicates the point where the branch of the Po di Goro was Romanesque architecture in north .Bosco r l Diamantina Oasi Bacini o a Mesola Tamara Zuccherificio Torbiera D o Scortichino Pontelagoscuro n z e Correggio l Pontelangorino Caprile l Santa Gradizza RO MESOLA Oasi Valle a Boara 10 Dindona Brazzolo Bianca Vigarano Goro Barco FERRARA Ponte Pieve Malborghetto Gran Bosco S. Bianca Rodoni Baura di Boara Fossalta Oasi Bacini Pontemaodino Pomposa della Mesola Vigarano Cassana Sabb. Zuccherificio Mizzana Sabb. Gherardi FE218 Oasi Boschetti S. Pietro S. Vittore di Valle Giralda oleonico Sacca p Mainarda Porotto rese Viconovo a Ferra Contrapò di Goro Pontegradella rovia Albarea o Id Denore FE213 Codigoro Casumaro N olan Gorino o i V Focomorto Villanova Oasi v o d P a P Oasi Canneviè Isola Tieni o Ferrarese C Porticino Ferrara d Cocomaro Codrea i FinaleReno Centese Vo di Focomorto lano Vaccolino Volano Emilia Madonna Final Val S Alberone Quartesana di Rero Massa ca MirabelloBoschi Cocomaro Roncodigà Cantone Valle nno Lido di Volano ne Oasi di Cona Nuova di Goro Oasi Faro S. Carlo Aguscello Cona Rero Buonacompra Boscona Fossanova Parasacco Marozzo Valle Gorinodi Gorino Coronella Chiesuol San Marco Bertuzzi del Fosso Scannone di Goro Torre Fossa Ducentola Id 5 7 FE213

Bivio r Cornacervina o o Dodici Pilastrello Oasi Correggi v Valcesura Fossanova Borgo S. Anna ia

Morelli F c Gorgo Palmirano errarese San Biagio Gualdo i Medelana Lago delle Sant’Agostino Nazioni t Oasi Bosco S. Martino Voghenza Masi S. Giacomo Rovereto della Panfilia Chiesa Gaibanella a Nuova Alberlungo i r Renazzo Dosso S. Egidio S. Vito 10 Fiu Corte Centrale d me Bevilacqua Ren Dogato Campolungo Oasi Lido delle Nazioni o Malpasso A Poggio RenaticoMontalbano Gaibana Gambulaga Libolla Corporeno Oasi Anse Vallive di Ostellato e Runco Ostellato Volania r Monestirolo S. Giuseppe a S. Bartolomeo S. Giovanni di Comacchio Lido di Pomposa in Bosco Sandolo Maiero M Gallo MarraraMontesanto Marrara Lido degli Scacchi Quartiere 8 Comacchio 1:200.000 S. Nicolò 5 km Spinazzino Portorotta ARGENTA Porto Garibaldi

Ripapersico Portoverrara Oasi Anse di

Benvignante 54 Valle Lepri Oasi Valle 55 P Fattibello

o Lido degli Estensi d Oasi i

P Ospital Anse Vallive di Porto r i m Monacale Bacino di Bando Oasi S. M. Codifiume a Valle Zavelea r Lido di Spina o Consandolo Oasi Salina di Comacchio Bando Oasi Boccaleone Vene di TraghettoTraghetto Oasi 4 La Fiorana Valle Ussarola Bellocchio Mare Valli di 8 Oasi Valle Adriatico Marmorta Fossa di Porto Comacchio Val Campotto Argenta Oasi Longastrino Valle Vacca Oasi Valli Filo di Argenta e S. Biagio Marmorta Oasi Bosco del Boscoforte Traversante Fiume Re Anita Valle no Campotto Santa Lavezzola

Voltana

Portonovo 6 From Ostellato to Pomposa Abbey From Ostellato to Pomposa Abbey 6

of the Volano as far as Migliaro, using the Po The Po di Volano di Volano cycleway.

An old waterway, this was the northern At Migliaro we cross the Volano again and carry branch of the Po in the mediaeval pe- on along the right-hand bank as far as Codig- riod, and it has always been a natural oro. The river widens and at the lagoon at Mas- way from Ferrara to the Adriatic. Today sa Fiscaglia runs in open countryside. From it is a drainage canal characterised by the path we can see the Tieni Island reserve, an cane and willow, bejewelled by a series island formed by the Volano, on which stands th of noble houses which as well as being Tieni Tower, a historic building from the 15 residences for recreation and rest were Century which once served as a lighthouse and also places to keep an eye on agricul- as an excise point for shipping tolls. tural activities. The story of these lands We head for Codigoro which stands out from is linked to the land reclamation under- a distance by the buildings of the old sugar taken in the first place by the monks, factory - nowadays a heronry, a veritable city continued by the Este family and finally of herons and egrets - and the chimney of the concluded this century by the Drainage pumping station. Codigoro was initially a set- Board (Consorzi di Bonifica). tlement of fisher-folk and hunters that grew up due to the waterways that crossed the From Ostellato, after a visit to the Anse Val- area, and then with the reclamation of the live, we head for Migliarino on minor roads surrounding lagoons, beginning in the mid and return to the Po di Volano. Rural build- nineteenth century and completed with the ings, drying houses and barns for grain are im- construction of the waterworks, it took a great portant characteristics of this route. The river leap forward in agriculture as well as industry. passes not far from the square and towers of From Codigoro the cycle path arrives at Pom- Migliarino, cross it and continue along the left posa Abbey, one of the most fascinating plac- The Tieni tower. Following page: Pomposa Abbey es in the whole province. Composed of church, bell tower, chapter house and the Palazzo della Ragione, it represents only a part, albeit an im- portant one, of the a monastery which goes back to the 6th Century and was great and pow- erful in Mediaeval times, a landmark in history and culture and one of the most important reli- gious centres. The monastery, elegant and well preserved on the exterior, has inside a treasure- house of excellent 14th century frescoes and a pavement in mosaic and marquetry.

In the refectory there is, miraculously pre- served, a fresco that shows the miraculous dinner of Abbot Guido and the Bavarian Ge- beardo di Eichstätt, archbishop of Ravenna, the latter being surprised by the miraculous transformation of water into wine.

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