Delta of Po

The delta of Po is the mouth of the river Po and the part Is Plaine Po which borders the Adriatic Sea (Italy) of North.

Geography

The delta of Po is the part ranging between the zone of resurgence of water, i.e., approximately, since Stellata in the west of Ferrare and Rovigo; where the river separates in several branches, and the coast Adriatique. , including the river Adige in north and the coastal area (and marshy) which extends until Ravenne, Cervia and Cesenatico.

Geophysics

A million years ago, the zone between the two extreme branches of the fork which the river presents, was entirely under water. This zone was to extend well beyond these limits; in north to the river Adige which is only with one score of km and, in the south by the river Reno which goes down from the the Apennines in direction of Bologna, by the three rivers Lamone, Montone and Ronco which have creates the marshes of Ravenne, then by the river Savio and the salt-water marshes of Cervia which extended until Cesenatico and the Rubicon.

Glacial era

The Flat of the Po, which not later that a million years, was included/understood in a large High-Adriatic gulf which was prolonged until the the Western Alps and in the Apennines of the Ligurie, following the great glaciations of the quaternary era was alternatively subordinate, with regard to the area Emilie-Romagna, at periods of immersion and immersion during which, in turn, followed one another of the continental climates and the maritime climates related to the oscillations more or less accentuated by the sea level. The rate/rhythm of such oscillatory phenomena or Eustatique S (movements of slow relative oscillation of the continents and the seas) causes an accumulation of continental and marine sedimentary formations on a thickness of approximately 4.000 meters.

On each return of the sea on the immersed grounds of the depression of the plain, its depth always tended to decrease since the compressing of sedimentary materials was abundantly compensated by the contribution of the new silts brought by the rivers. Little by little, the whole basin is clogged, thus, at the end of the last glaciation, the lowering of the marine level, the grounds immersed extended until the height from Ancône, thus occupying all the current Adriatic continental shelf. In this one Po acted as the collecting main thing and received all the rivers of the Apennines and the Alps. Thus the men of Paleolithic of the Apennines émiliens-romagnols had the possibility of going down in the valley and of crossing the vast plain which extended to the east from the coastal area from Emilie-Romagna until the reliefs from the Istrie and of the Dalmatie.

Successively, with the final withdrawal of the glaciers, approximately 14.000 years ago, the sea turns over to its level of origin. To this ultimate period the sedimentation of the grounds bordering on the low plain goes back and which are of great interest in the agricultural production of the area, beyond geomorphological research for the localization and the dating of the sites of primitive men.

The hand of the man

The transformation of the grounds, following the movements of the sea and the rivers to the courses of the millenia, makes difficult the discovery of traces prehistoric, if it is not that of the passage of the Étrusques to Adria (city which gave its name to the sea Ardiatique), located between the Po and the Adige in the province of Rovigo in Venezia.

Time gréco-Etruscan and Roman

the cleansings of the marshes in the surroundings of Comacchio, mainly that of Trebba (Valle Trebba) in 1922 with allowed the discovery of the Nécropole of Spina , dating around and testifying to the Etruscan presence which had founded a commercial port there between the river, maritime and terrestrial transportation routes (Reno, Po and Adriatique). During cleansings of the marshes of Pega in 1954-60 (Valle Pega) and marrais of Mezzano in 1960 (Valla del Mezzano), other the important discovered ones were updated, exposed today to the national archaeological museum of Ferrare ().

the penetration of the Romain S more in the south of the delta, starts with the foundation of Senigallia ( Sena Gallica 290 av. J. - C.) and of Rimini ( Ariminum 268 av. JC) on the Adriatic, then moves more to north without creating colony with the passage. They are only from that the requirements out of wood and building machineries (tiles and bricks in Terra cotta) that the Romans were established in this area rich in forests and clay soils.

The discovery of necropoles with Voghenza ( Vicus Habentia ) to 15 km of Ferrare makes it possible to date, thanks to the found currencies of the time of Claude Ier (years 41-54) and Maximin Ier Thrace (235-238), that the Romans were installed in this zone of 1st at the 3rd century.

Cutting or Centuriation Roman of the grounds in the south shows, obviously, the work of the Romans who got busy to drain the grounds by the digging of channels of drainage throughout the roads. Moreover the many monuments set up in the town of Ravenne testify to their passage and accomplished colossal work. The draining of the marshes and exploitation of the saltworks between Cervia and Cesenatico, the plantation of pine forests in direction of Ravenne to retain sand in edge of the coasts. The progressive decline of Ravenne supported the development of Ferrare which belonged to the Exarchat de Ravenne and whose name appears dice 754.

With the Middle Ages

At that time the Po of Volano , which passes to Ferrare , was the principal course until 1152, when the river broke the northern dam at the joint of the arms, with Ficarolo (province of Rovogo, to 20 km in the west of Ferrare), becoming the current course. With this change of management, the northern zone which had been stabilized hitherto, continued its advance in the sea, accentuated by the boring of " Oporto Viro" in 1604 (in two centuries the mouth of the Po of Goro has advanced of 20 km, that is to say 83m/an).

In Ferrare appears another branch called Po of Primaro which is thrown in the sea in the north of Ravenne after having levelled the town of Argenta. It is allowed to think that considering the little of means and labor to fight against the abrupt changes of natures; the floods and it fast change of level of water were to discourage most valorous.

17th at the 19th century

Since December 22nd, 1605, the “ Consortium of San Giorgio ” crossed the times and in spite of the legal ordinances, intact its obsession of safeguard of the territory maintained. Through successive drainings and agreements, the current subdivision was extended from 120.000 hectares ranging between the Po of Volano to north, the Adriatic Sea in the east, the river Reno in the south and the Po of Primaro in the west. Contrary to the septentrional part of the province, the grounds which form single a great depression, the territory of “ Polesine de San Giorgio ”, does not lend itself to a draining before a mechanical rising of water. Hydraulic management will arrive, therefore, initially with the departure of effluent water of the higher grounds in the bed of the large hydraulic pits which traversed the zone (Pit of Oporto, of Massi, of Voghenza), to the final mouth consisted the marsh of Comacchio (valli di Commacchio). More especially as at that time the river Reno was thrown directly in Po and that the rivers and torrents going down from the Apennines created vast marshy zones along Primaro, of the south of Ferrare until Ravenne. Zones in the past named Valle Padusa where the habitat with always existed in spite of the risks of nature.

The 18th century had to be waited so that the digging of the Cavo Benedettino deviating the course of the Reno in the Primaro and collecting water of the torrents, allowed the cleansing of the area.

The industrial era

The mechanical rising of water of the lower grounds was possible as from 1872, year of construction of the oldest pumping plant of Marozzo with Lagosanto, with the service of draining of Gallare. Until 1930, other installations service entrance for the draining of the neighbouring basins, by the digging, as did it the Romans, of deep channels and of banks arriving at the height of the highest grounds. From there, pumps, driven by steam engines, go up the water of the low zones in these channels which flow then in the sea.

Thus today, the Po of Volano , Goro and Primaro , the rivers Reno and Lemone all are connected by channels which end in the sea, allowing the draining of all the grounds of the delta except for the marshes of Comacchio (largest) and two or three other small marshes; grounds thus drained being dedicated to agriculture.

With the last imposing interventions of cleansing of the marsh of Mezzano and Pega , carried out by the Organization for the Colonization of the Delta of the plain of Po , 20.000 new hectares of cultivable grounds, passed in 1989 in management to the Consortium.

Regional parks

The problems of ecology and safeguard of nature pushed the men to become aware of the environment and to define laws and zones to be respected. It is advised with the tourists who go up towards north in direction of Venice, to borrow the “ Roméa ” (N309) of Ravenne from Mestre , along the coast, and to admire the marshes of Comacchio (especially except period of summer, when the trees are stripped of foliage) and to visit the historical main cities (attention: road extremely encumbered and limited to 50Km/h almost all length).

Regional park of the delta of the Po of Emilie-Romagna

It is an protected area which covers 52.000 hectares of the area Emilie-Romagna , which extends from the Po of Goro and which covers all the historical delta of Po, also including the mouths of the rivers Reno , Lamone , Bevano . Including inter alia the wetlands and brackish of the Adriatic coast and the immediate back-country: the pocket of Goro, the marsh of Comacchio , the grounds of Ravenne , the saltworks of Cervia , the forests of Silver plated and the pine forests of the Lido di Classe with the mouth of the Savio in the north of Cervia .

Monuments inside the park: the abbey one of Pomposa, the church of San Giorgio, St Appolinaire in Class, channels of hydraulic regulation and historical centres of Mesola, Comacchio, Ravenne and Cervia.

Regional park of the delta of the Po of Venezia

It extends from the Po of Goro to the river Adige and includes/understands the 9 communes of the province of Rovigo, with a population of approximately 73.000 inhabitants inside the limits of the park, for 786 km ² of extension and 120 km ² of protected area.

The formation of the park is due to the deposit of sediments which, over one long period, contributed to the progressive advance of the coastal line. These deposits of sediments especially accumulated in this direction after 1604, when the République of Venice made deviated the course of the northern arm of Po (with Taglio di Po with approximately of Adria), operation called Taglio di Oporto Viro and which, by deviating water more in the south towards the pocket of Goro, preserved the Lagune of Venice of the stranding.

The park of the delta of Po has the vastest extension of Wetland protected from Italy. The Flore is varied at the point to count approximately a thousand of various species. Even notices in which relates to the fauna, with more than 400 different species, between the mammals, reptiles, Amphibians and fish.

The presence of birds is so revealing, with more than 300 species (nesting and hibernation), which makes delta of Po the most important Italian ornithological zone and one of most known of Europe for the observers of birds.

Interregional natural park of the delta of Po

It is name of law tallies (N°.334 of 1991) which had fixed for the park that the areas of Venezia and Emilie-Romagna would have had realized in.liaison.with the Department of the Environment, in the territory which extends from Rovigo with Ferrare in correspondence with the mouth of Po.

Years of polemics and “chitchats” prevented all the administrations regional, provincial and communal concerned from arriving at an agreement for the joint management of the protected area.

The delta of Po, being of an exceptional natural interest, landscape and history, more especially as it belongs to the inheritance of humanity of UNESCO, densément is densément populated and its territory is subjected to strong economic interests, by the presence for example, of vast fishing zone, breeding, cultures of tourist interest and energy production.

Economy

Tourism

Balneal throughout the Historical littoral
in the towns of Ferrare, Comacchio, Ravenne

Industry

Agriculture

Internal bonds

External bonds

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