Macchiavella: Villas, River Landscape and Destra Po Cycle Path

Macchiavella between River Landscape and Culture

The place name Macchiavella still recalls the great Ferrarese families who owned agricultural land in the Po landscape between the 17th and 18th centuries. Macchiavella is one of the place names that have survived to this day and recall the reorganisation of local agriculture and land ownership that took place in the 17th and 18th centuries. This historical trace connects the village with a landscape where the river, agriculture and built heritage stand closely alongside one another.

The area of Riva del Po extends along the River Po. From the riverbank, views open out over floodplains, fields and riverside landscapes. There, you can explore and observe the river, floodplains, fields and riverside landscapes on foot. This creates an opportunity to combine quiet appreciation of the landscape with cultural and historical impressions when planning your trip.

Villas, Churches and Regional History

Several villas give the surrounding area a variety of architectural accents. Villa Beicamina is an elegant 18th-century manor house with a small chapel and is mentioned several times in Riccardo Bacchelli’s Il Mulino del Po. Villa Saracco has a distinctive dovecote tower and a park. Villa Scutellari has a central section and two side towers. In Serravalle (Ferrara), there is also Villa Giglioli, a 15th-century Venetian-style villa that was remodelled in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Ro also adds to the cultural picture. The Chiesa San Giacomo has a post-Baroque interior and a bell tower dating from 1882. The church façade faces directly towards the river. The museum opened in 2014 at Via Repubblica 6 displays household, agricultural, transport and leisure items that illustrate the social history of the region and the great river. This allows architectural history, everyday life and the relationship with the Po to be explored in different forms.

Il Mulino del Po and Life on the River

Il Mulino del Po is a faithful reconstruction of the floating mills that shaped the river until 1912. The model reproduces the simplest form of a floating mill, with two hulls, a wheel and a working millstone. At the Mulino del Po, visitors can watch flour being milled.

Cycling on the Destra Po

The Destra Po is a 120-kilometre-long, flat cycle path along the right bank of the Po in the province of Ferrara. It consists of 76 percent cycle path and 24 percent sections with mixed traffic. From Ro, there is a 17-kilometre connection to the Destra Po cycle path; the route continues towards Guarda, passing historic and cultural buildings as well as agricultural experiences for tourists and school groups. Anyone planning a longer cycle tour can take these different types of sections into account when planning their day.

Via Macchiavella is also relevant for local orientation: in Cologna, it meets the SP12 at a signal-controlled intersection; the SP12 is also known as Via Pampano Brusantina. As a culinary detail, Salama da tai is part of the region’s traditional heritage: the salami is made in winter and matures for at least six months in an unheated farmhouse.

More Destinations

For further travel planning, you can also find Argenta, Lido Di Pomposa, Codigoro, Jolanda di Savoia, San Martino, Voghenza, Copparo and Berra.

For the higher-level travel overview: Ferrara.