Montagnana
MONTAGNANA proudly, located fifteen minutes by train from Este, there are medieval ramparts, erected by the ubiquitous Ezzelin da Romano, which in 1242 r. practically razed the city to the ground. Walls, almost two kilometers in circumference and twenty-four polygonal towers, are among the most beautiful medieval fortifications in the country.
Gates facing the four directions of the world were pierced in the walls, and the entrance to the city from the east and west was additionally hampered by the fortresses. Eastern Gate (Porta Padova) broni Castle of San Zeno, erected by Ezzelin in 1242 r. Archaeological finds from around the city are on display in the nearby Museo Civico e Archeologico (wt.-pt. 10.00-12.00 i 16.00-18.00, sb. 9.00-12.00 i 15.00-18.00, nd. 16.00-19.00; 1000 L; to years 18 Free entrance). Fortress of the Trees, on the west side, is a fortress built in 1362 r. by Carraresi for road control from Mantua and Verona.
The center of Montagnana is Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, dominated by the Late Gothic Duomo; altar painting by Paola Veronese, Transformation, it is less interesting than the huge anonymous painting of the Battle of Lepanto, the ships to the left of the entrance and their configuration in battle are reportedly depicted with naturalistic accuracy.
AAST office at Wiktor Emanuel Square (codz. 10.00-12.00 i 16.30-19.00) is very helpful. When it comes to accommodation, it is best to choose Locanda Baraldo in via San Zeno (0429/81673), with doubles after 25000 L. Rocca degli Alberi is an excellent youth hostel (IV-half. X; reception 15.00-23.00; w 0429/81076); the price is 7000 L for the night, and you can get the IYHF card on the spot. Many hotels in the city have restaurants; the cheapest meal can be eaten at Pizzeria al Palio in Piazza Trieste.
On the first Sunday of September, the Palio takes place in Montagnana - a poor relative of the Siena costume racing, but organized with real enthusiasm, and the day ends with a fireworks display.
Rovigo and beyond
ROVIGO is the capital of the fertile and often flooded zone between Adige and Pada, called Polesine (or Little Mesopotamia). Trains from Venice to Ferrara and Bologna stop every hour and intersect with another east-west line, and perhaps the only reason, for which one could come here, there is a transfer. However, while waiting for the connection, there are a few places worth visiting. City maps are available from the EPT office in via J. H. Dunant 10, to the right of Corso del Popolo as you exit the station.
W Picture Gallery of the Concordi przy Piazza Vittore Emanuele (pn.-pt. 10.00-12.00 i 16.00-18.30, sb. 10.00-12.00; Free entrance) the exhibitions are - and not the best - works by outstanding artists from Veneto: Palmy the Elder, Giambattista Piazzetta i Rosalby Camera. Walking for about fifteen minutes in the same direction, in Piazza San Bartolomeo, you will come to the main archaeological institute of the region, Civic Museum of the Cwilita in Polesine. It is a collection of artefacts excavated by scientists rather than a systematic collection, but the commentary by the museum employees on the tour compensates for the not very interesting exhibition.
Fratta Polesine
For a trip to FRATTA POLESINE, 18 km southwest of Rovigo, ardent lovers of the Palladia buildings should go. Villa Badoer (opening hours to be checked at EPT in Rovigo), designed in the 1660s, is one of the most eloquent displays of architectural rhetoric, with characteristic winding colonnades connecting the house with a portico with outbuildings on the side. Nothing of the original equipment has been preserved, but conservators discovered grotesque frescoes from the 16th century in the villa.
Adriatic and Padua delta
From Rovigo, trains depart for the Po Delta and Chioggia every few hours in an easterly direction. With Adria, port, from which the name of the Adriatic Sea comes from, only a sleepy city remained, counting 20 000 residents.
Currently - due to the strong siltation of the lagoon - it is situated on the tributary of the Po, some 25 km inland. Jedyne atrakcje to Archaeological Museum in Piazzale degli Etruschi, where there are collections of Greek and Etruscan excavations from the period, when Adria was an important port (codz. 9.00-13.00 i 15.00-18.00).
The Po Delta is really hard to explore without your own car, although there is a Vittorio Cacciatori bike rental in PORTO TOLLE - where you can get by bus from LOREO, several train stations behind Adria. You can also rent a canoe in Cacciatori, and an easier method of getting to know the waters and islets of the delta is a half-day boat trip from Porto Tolle or TAGLIO DI PO behind 10 000 L per person - excellent opportunity to observe waterfowl and other birds in the areas of the nature reserve, what is the delta. The bathing areas in this area have been maintained much better and cleaner in recent years, but in the headwaters, pollution of the Po is still severe and swarms of disgusting algae find their way into the Adriatic.