This time Massimo takes us to an area on the border between land and sea caressed by the southern branch of the river Po.

A bit of history:

Comacchio:
Already known since the Iron Age, the village probably originated from a Roman castrum that arose between the 7th and 8th centuries BC.
The monasteries of Santa Maria in Padovetere (in the Pega Valley) and Santa Maria in Aula Regia remain as evidence of early Christianity, 5th to 6th century AD.
It was strenuously defended by Byzantium against the invasion of the Lombards and thus, unlike neighbouring territories, not subjected to the invaders.
Between the 7th and 8th centuries, the territory was donated to the monks of St Columba of Bobbio.
Between the 7th and 9th centuries it had one of the most powerful fleets in the Adriatic.
The Serenissima could not accept the presence of a close strong naval competitor, so she besieged and conquered it five times in the early Middle Ages.
It passed to the Este family and then to the Papal State.
In 1860 the territory was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Valli di Comacchio:
Until about a century ago, this was one of the largest brackish areas in the south-eastern part of the province of Ferrara.
Even today, despite anthropization, this area still represents the largest brackish wetland complex in the region and one of the most important in Europe; currently extends over about 11400 ha (114 km²).
The Valli were formed by the subsidence of the Po delta in the Etruscan-Roman period and of the surrounding interfluvial basins, particularly in the Middle Ages, and thus the brackish water entered and spread.

In addition to natural assets, the valleys also conserve precious historical-cultural evidence (see the Museo dei Marinati).

Read more:
wikipedia: Comacchio
wikipedia: ponte dei Trepponti
www.parks.it: parco delta Po
www.imarinatidicomacchio.it: manifattura dei marinati

Thanks to our friend Massimo for the material of this special report.