Nature and relax. One of the itineraries we propose encompasses this magnificent area.
In the territory of the Po's Delta Park the history of people is strictly linked to that of the river. Fishing in all its variants – in valleys, in the sea, in the river - was and still is the main feature of this territory crossed by a thousand brooks, inlets, fresh water coves, rivers continuously interacting with the sea. In this water-dominated landscape inhabitants alternated fishing with the production of ditch reeds, used to make covers and roofs.
Besides fishing, people living in this area traditionally devoted themselves to preparing, marinating or frying the fishes captured with the "lavoriero" (a type of net) in Comacchio's Valleys: chief among them is the tasty eel, but also the darting sand-smelts.
Women were in charge of eel processing at the Valley plant, in Comacchio. A production cycle controlled the various steps: from cooking on the spit to the preparation of the tan, made with vinegar, water, salt and bay leaves, to the arrangement of fishes in the “zangolini”, typical wood containers.
Everywhere in the Park you can appreciate and taste all “symbols” of the delta, a water-dominated area, but also rich in ”white gold”: salt.
In the natural salt basins, divided into tanks, brackish water was progressively allowed to settle and the saltworks of Comacchio and Cervia produced enormous amounts of white crystals.
The habit of salting down the many products obtained from the sea and valleys, like eels and sardines, is still alive today.
Besides the rich valley dishes you can find an extraordinary variety of tasty seafish-based recipes.
The park also offers territorial specialities: pineseeds and truffles found in Ravenna's pinewoods, the classical piadina, Ferrara's bread or Cervia's salt, giving dishes a truly special taste.
Also worth visiting is the Area dei vini del Bosco (“Wood Wine Area”), along the Romea national road (that for this reason is called “Wood wine road”). The area extends from the mouth of the Po river, to the north, down to Goro, and from south of the Reno river mouth to the coast of Ravenna and Cervia.
The “golden grape” vines give birth to four wines that have achieved the Registered Designation of Origin: two are red (Fortana and Merlot), and two are white (Sauvignon and Bianco).
Currently the production area encompasses the Province of Ferrara (Goro, Mesola, Lagosanto and part of the municipalities of Comacchio, Argenta e Codigoro) and the Province of Ravenna (municipalities of Ravenna and Cervia).
It is a territory rich in natural environments that host hundreds of animal and plant species. The high number of species is strictly linked to the variety of available habitats, to the different chemical and physical composition of the ground and to climate conditions.
The special geomorphology of the territory has allowed the growth of woods with deciduous and evergreen plants.
Only a small vestige of the old Bosco Eliceo, mentioned in historical manuscripts, remains instead on the dunes of Ferrara's coastline.
In the Province of Ravenna the wood, dating back to a more recent epoch, consists of umbrella pines and cluster pines.
The most remarkable features of the Delta landscape are the valleys and the humid areas.