Taglio di Po, San Basilio, Isola della Donzella. A journey through the ancient history of the territory

The seventh route is dedicated to the ancient history of this territory. From the fossil dunes of Grillara and Rosara to the Cultural Tourist Center of San Basilio indeed it’s possible to return to the remote times of this part of Veneto, thanks to important archaeological finds and to the area of the excavations, that are now bringing to light a large paleochristian architectural complex, which includes a church, an octagonal baptistery and a small cemetery. Along this itinerary, in fact, it‘s possible to become aware of the evolutions that the mentioned area has known since recent times thanks to the reclamation, of which remains evidence in the dedicated Museum of Ca ‘Vendramin.

Taglio di Po > San Basilio > Isola della Donzella

The route offers the possibility of following two itineraries:

ROUTE 1: the route is 26 km long

ROUTE 2: the route is 26 km

ROUTE 3: the path of the entire perimeter is 62 km

La nostra pedalata parte da piazza Venezia a Taglio di Po, dove si trova un’antica torre campanaria, costruita nel 1882, come a ricordarci che il protagonista dei chilometri che seguono sarà il tempo. Da qui prendiamo via Dante Alighieri che percorreremo fino ad incrociare via San Basilio, quest’ultima è un lungo rettifilo che ci porterà fuori dall’abitato in direzione Sud.

1. Museum of the Ocarina

The little museum of the Fecchio family preserves the testimony of a characteristic activity of the Delta area, namely the production of small objects made with clay. Games, amusing objects and more often, ‘ocarinas’, whistles, also called "cuchi" in other parts of Veneto. The museum dedicates many showcases and explanatory panels to this secular-old production, but there’s also the opportunity of participating to workshops.

2. Fossil dunes of Grillara and Rosara

Sites of Community Importance (SIC), the fossil dunes present in the localities of Grillara, Rosara and San Basilio are the most southern and oldest strips of these particular conformations. This is the ancient coastline, dating back to the pre-Etruscan and Etruscan period, which confirms the extreme youth of this land.

Proseguendo oltre arriveremo al piccolo centro di San Basilio, una delle tappe fondamentali del percorso perché oltre al Centro Turistico Culturale, e nell’area archeologica sono conservate le tracce più importanti della storia del territorio.

3. San Basilio Cultural Center and archaeological area

The Cultural Center of San Basilio assembles meaningful materials found in the various excavation campaigns conducted in this area. The museum is divided into three main sections: the introductory geomorphological, the archaeological-exhibition and the virtual one, which offers the visitor a visual support to better understand the archaeological site of San Basilio where traces of a great paleo-Christian architectural complex emerged: a church, the octagonal baptistery and a small burial ground with cappuccina tombs.

4. Romanesque church of San Basilio

This is one of the worship areas of the oldest Christian community in Polesine. The current Romanesque church, in fact, rises in the same place of a previous structure, presumably built in the early Middle Ages, between the 4th and 5th centuries. Recent restoration work on the church has allowed the creation of a glass floor that gives to the visitors the opportunity to see ancient foundations of the sacellum.

5. Rivà bell tower

A small solitary bell tower rises along the left bank of the Po di Goro, exactly in front of the imposing bulk of the Castle of Mesola, which instead is located on the other shore on the Emilian soil. This is what remains of the old parish church demolished in the 1960s to make room to reinforce the banks. Today it is one of the symbols of the Delta.

6. Regional Museum of reclamation of Ca ’Vendramin

Obtained from the largest water pump of the Po Delta, built at the beginning of the 20th century to reclaim part of the Ariano territory, inside it still preserves the ancient steam pumps, capable of raising a total of 11,000 liters of water per second; it also contains the old workshop serving the facilities, the historical archive of the reclamation bodies and a study center for the "Delta and Lagune International Laboratory".

7. Oasis of Ca’ Mello

The Ca' Mello Oasis can be visited on foot, by bicycle and by boat. It is a large wetland of about 150 hectares, of a considerable landscape value, which includes: the Oasis of Cà Mello; the Bonello biotope, wreck of an ancient fishing valley; the wood of the Donzella and, finally, the area of the Cassella pinewood. The Visitor Center hosts a permanent exhibition that tells the story of the Oasis.