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TOURISM >Itineraries and Birdwatching >Stazione Volano – Mesola – Goro | |||||||||||||
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TOURISM >Itineraries and Birdwatching >Stazione Volano – Mesola – Goro | |||||||||||||
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Volano – Mesola – Goro Station |
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Volano – Mesola – Goro is the northernest station of Parco del Delta del Po dell'Emilia-Romagna; situated at the border with the Venetia region, it represents the link between the Park and the active Po delta, and it also presents some distinguishing morphological features of the latter. The territory of the Station is entirely below the average sea level, except for the residual dunes on which stand the built-up parts of the Mesola area and the Romea road. The banks, real architectural earth structures, defend the territory against sea water ingress. The whole area covers a surface of more than 12,000 hectares. These lands - which were reclaimed during the centuries through huge drainage works - are characterised by important artistic and natural elements of great value. The Po di Goro - the southernest branch of the Po Delta - marks the northern border of the "Station" for about 20 km. The Park territory includes Sacca di Goro, the Po di Volano mouth, the beautiful Valli Bertuzzi, Cantone and Nuova lagoons, as well as the Bosco della Mesola, a wide holm-oak wood peopled by important red-deer and Hermann's tortoise populations. Este Castle in Mesola The Castle was built according to the will of Alfonso II - the last Duke of Ferrara - between 1578 and 1583. Planned by Giovan Battista Aleotti, it housed the Este court on the occasion of autumn hunting and summer parties, and it also stood as a defensive garrison for this border area. Setting off from the Castle, a 12 km wall used to enclose a wood. Today the Castle houses the Park's new Centre for Environmental Education, which provides visitors with the basic knowledge to understand this wonderful landscape, shaped by the river, the wood and the lagoons. Pomposa Abbey Situated 5 km far from Codigoro, this 8th-9th century Abbey is - according to some research by the Ministero ai Beni culturali - one of the most visited monuments in Italy. The wonderful frescoes decorating the Basilica reveal that, in the Middle Ages, Pomposa was a centre of religious and civil power. The church, with a nave and two side aisles, was frescoed in the 14th century by some artists of the Bolognese school, among which the master Vitale. Some paintings portraying scenes from the Old and New Testament (in the nave) and from the Apocalypse (on the arcades) and are particularly rich of pathos. The monastic complex also includes a cloister with a central well, a room called Sala del Capitolo, a refectory decorated with frescoes portraying the Last Supper and Palazzo della Ragione. A legend says that the original manuscripts of Dante's Divine Comedy are hidden somewhere - maybe in the walls - inside the Benedictine Abbey. A tall (48 meters) Romanesque bell tower, built in 1063, acts as an attraction for people driving on the Romea road. Torre Abate is undoubtedly the most interesting hydraulic structure in the Po Delta. It was built in 1569, during the great reclamation works carried out by the Este family, in order to make the water coming from the upper part of Ferrara flow to the sea. An avant-garde work of hydraulic engineering, it was placed on the drainage canal, next to its mouth. Its raised part, used as a watch tower and embodied in the walls which used to surround the Mesola estate, was built in the 17th century. Chiavica dell’Agrifoglio Built in the second half of the 17th century, it is the oldest hydraulic structure of the lower Ferrara region. It will be the object of an architectural improvement programme. Torre di Guardia / Watch Tower It was built at the beginning of the 18th century according to the will of the Papal Government. The square-base building is characterised by a basement with sloping external walls. Balanzetta and Pescarina Dewatering Pumps. The former is placed next to Bosco della Mesola, and the latter between canal Bianco and Po di Goro. Both were built at the end of the 19th century and were steam-driven. Torre Palù It was built in the second half of the 18th century on the Canal Bianco, next to the Mesola wood. Remains of the Chiavica del Bosco (a drain) can be found nearby. Goro Early 18th century settlement, it gradually gained importance thanks to its harbour and to the commerce and culture of fish. Today it is the seat of an important plant for mollusc culture. Gorino Not far from Goro, near the Po mouth, it is characterised by aligned rows of houses on the right bank of the river. It is also known for its fishing activities. Scannone – Lighthouse Earth strip at the eastern border of the Ferrara province, characterised by a 1950 lighthouse. Sacca di Goro It is a lagoon situated between the mouths of Po di Goro and Po di Volano, whose particular interest resides in its evocative natural environment (boat tours available). Gran Bosco della Mesola A wood of more than 1,000 hectares, situated between Po di Goro and Po di Volano, with typical Mediterranean vegetation dominated by Holm oaks. Within the wood there is a 200 ha nature reserve subject to strict regulations. The great naturalistic interest of this biotype is also due to its animal species, among which stands out the "deer of the dunes". |