Rovigo between the Po Delta, art and historic architecture

Rovigo combines the diverse landscape of the Po Delta with a remarkable concentration of art, architecture and historic routes. If you would like to combine culture and nature on a trip to Italy, you will find both collections and palazzi in the city as well as excursion destinations between rivers, lagoons and embankments.

Po Delta and nature experiences

The landscape of the Po Delta in the Province of Rovigo comprises fossil dunes, raised embankments, river floodplains, fishing valleys, lagoons and newly formed sandbanks. In the Parco del Delta del Po, it is possible to take bike excursions along the embankments, go boating and canoeing, and enjoy birdwatching and nature photography. In the section from Porto Levante to the Po di Maistra, there are observation towers and viewing points; the facility managed by Veneto Agricoltura also has an observation tower.

The Via dell’Acqua also combines nature observation with a bike-and-boat route. Near Trecenta, it passes the Gorghi, the remains of former river courses that are now protected wetlands. The return journey follows the river to Mulino Pizzon, an example of industrial archaeology. Another nature and culture bike-and-boat route is called Tra Ville e Castelli.

Art, museums and historic architecture

The Accademia dei Concordi makes a library with more than 300,000 documents available to the public. Its picture gallery comprises more than 400 works; the Accademia also includes an archaeological section with the collection of Camillo Silvestri and the Egyptian Collection of Giuseppe Valsè Pantellini. The Museo dei Grandi Fiumi presents the archaeological, cultural and landscape heritage of Polesine, a region shaped by the Po and Adige rivers. Original artefacts are combined there with interactive reproductions, scenographic installations, multimedia installations, dioramas and models.

One of the defining buildings is the Tempio della Beata Vergine del Soccorso, known as La Rotonda. Because of its octagonal floor plan, it is a landmark of Rovigo. La Rotonda was designed by Francesco Zamberlan, and the foundation stone was laid on 13 October 1594. The 57-metre-high bell tower was created by Baldassarre Longhena in 1773.

The San Bartolomeo architectural complex was established in the 13th century and reached its greatest flourishing after the Olivetan monastery was expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Palazzo Roverella was begun from 1474 on behalf of Cardinal Bartolomeo Roverella; it is traditionally attributed to craftsmen from Ferrara working in the circle of the architect Biagio Rossetti. Today, the palazzo houses the picture gallery collection as well as temporary art and photography exhibitions.

The Palazzo Roncale was built between 1550 and 1562 to a design by the Veronese architect Michele Sanmicheli and has hosted temporary exhibitions since 2016 focusing on the area’s artistic and cultural characteristics. The Palladian Villa Badoer in Fratta Polesine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For a further insight into the city’s history, Tra Piazze e Palazzi leads through Rovigo’s historic centre as an urban circular route.

City walls, churches and palazzi

Porta Sant’Agostino is one of the last two gates of Rovigo’s medieval city wall and probably dates from the first half of the 16th century. Porta San Bartolomeo is one of the three gates of the original city wall from the 14th century. Torre Pighin is the only surviving watchtower of the former city wall. The historic monumental complex with Torre Donà dates back to 920, when permission was granted to build a castle for protection against barbarian incursions. Torre Donà is approximately 60 metres high and is considered one of Italy’s significant early medieval towers.

The present-day Duomo Concattedrale di Santo Stefano was begun in 1696 on the site of an earlier church documented as early as 1050. The cathedral contains works by Jacopo Palma il Giovane and Andrea Vicentino. The church of Sant’Antonio Abate is known as San Domenico, dates back to the beginning of the 16th century and is connected with the establishment of the Ospedale di Sant’Antonio Abate. Only a single side-facing façade of the church of San Domenico is present and visible from the outside.

The Oratorio della Santissima Concezione is known as Chiesetta del Cristo and is a sacred building with a 15th-century floor plan and a three-nave interior. It contains a valuable 18th-century altar and a fragment of a fresco depicting the Virgin and Child. Part of the first cloister and a 14th-century hall have survived from the Chiesa dei SS Francesco e Giustina.

The Palazzo Venezze was designed by Agostino Ghirotti in 1715 on behalf of Count Stefano Venezze. The Palazzo Silvestri was built in the second half of the 15th century and displays stylistic similarities with the architecture of Ferrara. The Palazzina Minelli is a building erected in 1860 in the Neo-Gothic style and later restored. The Pescheria Nuova was built in the 1870s as an iron-and-glass structure in the eclectic style.

The Palazzo Angeli was built in 1781 to a design by the Veronese architect Francesco Schiavi. The hall on the piano nobile is decorated with frescoes by Giambattista Canal. The Loggia dei Nodari houses significant works of art and preserves the bell of the keep of Rovigo Castle, documented there since 1488. The hall of the Palazzo della Gran Guardia now serves as a venue for exhibitions and conferences.

Routes for culture and exercise

The Percorso delle Mura Antiche circular route takes approximately 60 minutes on foot and about 25 minutes by bicycle. La Via dell’Archeologia is a bike-and-boat route from Rovigo to Adria. It leads from the former Olivetan monastery of San Bartolomeo to a landing stage and then by boat along the Canalbianco to Adria. I luoghi degli Olivetani is a 25-kilometre circular route that runs partly along a cycle path, partly on paved roads that are sometimes used by traffic, and partly along unpaved paths.

The Teatro Sociale is a theatre with a long tradition and presents opera, drama, dance, symphonic, chamber music and jazz seasons. Regional specialities selected for Rovigo and its province include Insalata di Lusia IGP, Cozze di Scardovari DOP and Riso del Delta del Po IGP. Rovigo railway station provides assistance for passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility.

Other places for orientation

For further orientation, see the location pages for Gavello, Loreo, Porto Levante, Piano, Frassinelle Polesine, Giacciano Con Baruchella, Crespino, Santa Giulia, San Basilio, Occhiobello, Badia Polesine, Adria, Stienta, Trecenta, Albarella Isola, Lendinara, Boccasette, Ceregnano, Corbola, Bosaro, Guarda Veneta, San Martino Di Venezze, Bagnolo Di Po, Rosolina Mare, Scardovari, Taglio Di Po, Bonelli Di Porto Tolle, Castelguglielmo Rovigo, Rosapineta, Rovigo, Polesella, Pagana, Castelnovo Bariano, Paviole, Costa di Rovigo, Cavanella Po, Porto Viro, Fratta Polesine, Arquà Polesine, Melara, Salara, Ariano Nel Polesine, Rosolina, Porto Tolle and Pontecchio Polesine.

For the higher-level travel overview: Veneto.