Explore the authentic heart of the Po Delta, a tour through history, nature and ancient pilgrimage routes.
Following in the footsteps of wayfarers, this itinerary will lead you through fascinating cities of art, rural landscapes, and natural oases rich in biodiversity. The ring-route links some of the most evocative places in Emilia-Romagna: from Comacchio to Argenta, from Ferrara to Mesola, up to the ancient Pomposa Abbey, the suggestive Po Delta and the enchanting Comacchio Lagoons.
You will cross roads filled with history, such as the Via Popilia, built by the Romans to connect Rimini and Aquileia, the Via Romea Germanica followed by medieval pilgrims from northern Europe on their way to Rome, and the Viae Misericordiae .
Along the way, you will encounter the Estense Castle of Mesola, the Bosco della Mesola reserve, habitat of the dune deer, and historic reclamation works such as Torre Abate and Torre Palù. The journey continues to the dunes and pine forest of Lido di Volano, a refuge for fallow deer and other wildlife, before reaching the coast. You will skirt the beaches of Lido delle Nazioni, passing through Porto Garibaldi and the Comacchio Saltworks, where the pink flamingos live, before returning to Comacchio.
Let yourself be surrounded by the magic of the Po Delta: get your bike ready and immerse yourself in this unique experience!
The route alternates between stretches of cycle path, embankment roads and mixed traffic roads.
The itinerary starts from the lagoon town of Comacchio, heir to the ancient Etruscan trading port of Spina. With its charming bridges and canals, Comacchio offers a timeless atmosphere, where the relationship between land and water tells centuries of history. The undisputed symbol of the town is the Trepponti, an impressive 17th century bridge that once marked the entrance to the town and is now the perfect starting point to exploring the historic centre.
Strolling through the streets and canals, you can visit:
Passing the San Pietro mobile bridge, you immerse yourself in the unspoilt nature of the Comacchio Lagoons, a unique ecosystem where land and water intertwine in a perfect balance. This nature reserve is recognised as a wetland of international importance according to the Ramsar Convention and as a UNESCO Mab Reserve, thanks to its incredible biodiversity.
Here, you can choose between two unmissable experiences:
Continuing along the itinerary, we reach the Comacchio Salt Pans Nature Reserve, accessible only with a guided tour. Once an important natural salt factory, today it is a biodiversity sanctuary, home to a large colony of pink flamingos, which have found their ideal habitat here.
From the lagoon, it takes only a few minutes to reach the beach of Lido di Spina, where the green of the pine forest meets the wetlands, creating a landscape of extraordinary beauty. Crossing the Vene di Bellocchio, close to the ancient Via Popilia, we take the new Argine degli Angeli, an evocative bicycle and pedestrian path connecting the Valle Furlana with the Volta Scirocco Oasis and the Reno River.
The last stop on this first part of the itinerary is the Boscoforte peninsula, a wild strip of land, visible only on guided tours, where the majestic Delta-Camargue horses live in the wild.
A magical place, perfect for those who want to experience the most authentic nature of the Po Delta.
Following the embankment of the river Reno, which for centuries marked the route of the ancient trail of the Via Romea Germanica, the journey continues to Argenta, a place where history and nature combine in harmony.
The heart of this tour is the Valle Santa a wetland area freely accessible via a 6-km-long cycle and footpath on grassland. The walk leads to a lookout tower that offers a breathtaking view of the expansion area and the wet meadow, allowing a close look at the species that inhabit these natural environments.
Not to be missed is a visit to the Museo Civico, which is housed inside the church of San Domenico. The building is a beautiful example of 15th-century architecture with exposed brickwork inspired by Rossetti models, and still preserves the beautiful bell tower with a spire in polychrome terracotta tiles. Inside the museum it is possible to admire paintings, sculptures, headstones and archaeological artefacts that have been found in the area surrounding the Pieve di San Giorgio and in the numerous excavation tests carried out since the late 1980s in various areas of the city centre.
Walking along the route of the Via Romea Germanica you will find the Santuario della Celletta, with its unmistakable elliptical shape. It was built in the early 17th century on the site of a Renaissance cell, to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims who flocked there in response to an apparition of the Madonna.
A few steps away, surrounded by the nature of an enchanting park, is the Pieve di San Giorgio, the oldest church in the territory of Ferrara, dating back to the 6th century. A true architectural jewel that invites contemplation and the discovery of the most remote history of this region.
The itinerary continues along the course of the Reno, surrounded by the peace and quiet of the countryside, we finally reach the Traghetto Oasis, a small naturalistic gem that introduces us to the last part of this leg. Travelling along the Po di Primaro, we arrive in the enchanting city of Ferrara, the ‘city of the Renaissance’.
Since 1995, Ferrara has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its extraordinary urban configuration, which transformed the the city into a model of Renaissance layout, the first example of a modern city. Ruled for centuries by the Este dynasty, among the most important and culturally active of the period, Ferrara still retains a unique charm with its balance of architectural elegance and lively atmosphere.
The visit begins from the majestic Castello Estense, the symbol of the city, with its towers, navigable moat and splendid frescoed halls. Built in the 14th century as a defensive fortress, the castle was transformed over time into a sumptuous ducal residence.
Strolling through the historical centre, you will find the Cathedral of San Giorgio, a masterpiece of Romanesque/Gothic architecture dominating Piazza Trento e Trieste with its imposing white marble façade. Not far away, the famous Palazzo dei Diamanti with its characteristic covering of over 8,500 marble ashlars - hosts prestigious art exhibitions.
Another treasure of the city is Palazzo Schifanoia, the summer residence of the Este family, famous for its Salone dei Mesi (Hall of the Months), an extraordinary cycle of frescoes that displays the astrological calendar, and Palazzina Marfisa d'Este (currently closed for restoration).
Ferrara is also the city of bicycles, thanks to its network of cycling paths that make it easy to explore the centre and its surroundings. Among the ideal places for a break surrounded by nature, the Massari Park and the Giorgio Bassani Urban Park offer ample green spaces perfect for relaxing after a busy day of sightseeing.
Leaving Ferrara, the route follows the right side of the Po River along the route once again of the Via Popilia, until it reaches Mesola once an important Este outpost. Here, in the heart of the village, the Estense Castle of Mesola rises majestically, built by Alfonso II d'Este at the end of the 16th century as a recreational residence and defence against possible Venetian attacks. With its four crenellated towers and Renaissance charm, the castle is an unmissable stop to immerse yourself in the era of the great Este Seigniory.
A few kilometres away, nature dominates unchallenged in the Bosco di Santa Giustina, a splendid green area rich in biodiversity,
ideal for a moment of relaxation or a short regenerating walk. Here, history is intertwined with human talent: it was in this area that the first attempts to regulate the waters and reclaim the land were launched. Testimony to these works is the majestic Torre Abate, an ancient hydraulic architecture equipped with vincian gates to control the flow of water.
Continuing along the route, we enter the extraordinary Nature Reserve of the Mesola Woods, a unique habitat that preserves one of the last lowland woods of the Po Valley. Here lives the extremely rare dune deer, a true living fossil, the last example of the Italic deer. The forest offers trekking and cycling routes that allow you to explore this protected oasis and admire the wealth of flora and fauna.
Tips
An exclusive area of the Bosco della Mesola Nature Reserve can be visited from March to October in a minibus, accompanied by an environmental guide, with the possibility of meeting local deer up close.
After the immersion in nature, the journey continues to a place of timeless spirituality and art, the starting point of the Viae Misericordiae: the thousand-year-old Pomposa Abbey, located in the municipality of Codigoro. This extraordinary monastic complex, founded between the 6th and 7th centuries, was a cultural centre of great importance, hosting amanuensis monks who contributed to the dissemination of medieval knowledge.
The most fascinating element of the abbey is the Basilica of Santa Maria, which houses one of the most precious fresco cycles in the province, inspired by Giotto's art, and an extraordinary floor, embellished with marble inlays dating back to the 6th-12th centuries, which adds further magnificence to this place, where time seems to have stood still.
The last part of this fascinating tour leads, following the route of the Via Misericodiae, from the historic Pomposa Abbey to the Adriatic coast, where land and sea combine in an extraordinary landscape.
Crossing the exuberant pine forest between Lido di Volano and Lido delle Nazioni you immerse yourself in an untouched natural environment, where the Mediterranean maquis and sand dunes offer refuge to numerous animal species.
Here, with a bit of luck, you can catch sight of free-roaming fallow deer, which populate this area in small herds, providing visitors with an authentic and evocative spectacle.
The route continues along the beach to Porto Garibaldi a charming seaside resort and one of the most important fishing harbours on the Adriatic coast. Strolling along the docks, you can breathe in the lively atmosphere of the village, with its colourful boats, fish markets and salty air that tells stories of fishermen and ancient traditions linked to the sea.
Continuing towards Lido degli Estensi, it is possible to take one of the most evocative tracts of the itinerary: the nature trail that borders the Comacchio Saltpan, one of the most rich in biodiversity habitats in the entire region. This extraordinary environment is known for the presence of a large colony of pink flamingos, which find here their ideal habitat for feeding and nesting. The contrast between the calm waters of the salt marsh, the clear sky and the bright pink of the elegant silhouettes of the flamingos creates a picture of rare beauty.
Following the thin embankment of Valle Spavola, you reach the Foce Fishing Station, where you can experience one last immersion in local fishing traditions before concluding the itinerary. Here, history intertwines with nature: the brackish lagoons, once fundamental to the local economy, today represent a fragile and precious ecosystem, protected by the Po Delta Park.
Finally, the circle closes by returning to Comacchio, completing an extraordinary journey through timeless landscapes, between history, nature and lagoon culture. This itinerary is not just a geographical route, but an authentic experience that allows you to discover the marvels shaped over the centuries by the river Po, the sea and human genius.
Curiosities
On the free beach of the coastline between Lido delle Nazioni and Lido di Volano every year, artist Enrico Menegatti creates wooden sculptures by recovering the wood that the sea returns after sea storms.
Over the years, his creativity has enabled him to create many subjects including dinosaurs, deer, crocodiles, lions, wolves, dolphins and a majestic St. George with the Dragon: for the visitor strolling along the shoreline, this creates the suggestion of a fantastic and sustainable world.
