Po Delta: lagoons, abbeys and Ferrara

Route description

Chioggia, at the southern end of the Venetian lagoon, is a working fishing town of canals and a long main street with a morning fish market. Head south on the SS309 Romea, a busy road with heavy trucks, and turn off into the delta at Porto Viro.

Minor roads run along the dykes to the Sacca degli Scardovari, a lagoon of mussel farms and fishermen’s huts, and on to the lighthouse and river mouths of the Po. It is ideal country for bikes, and bird-watchers come in spring and autumn for herons and flamingos.

Back on the Romea, the Gran Bosco della Mesola preserves a piece of the old coastal forest, and Pomposa Abbey’s bell tower rises out of the fields a few kilometres south. Comacchio, with its bridges and canals, has boat trips into the salt marshes of the Valli di Comacchio.

Finish inland in Ferrara, where the Este castle and moat stand in the centre and the city walls make a nine-kilometre ring for walking or cycling. Summer brings mosquitoes and heat, so spring and autumn are the best seasons; the flat roads and many rest areas suit motorhomes.