Po River Delta, Italy; Etruscans, Greeks, Romans, Celts and birds.

Po River Delta: Newly discovered treasure

Julianne with sister Kitty, November 13-14, 2014

The Po Delta presented another series of wonderful experiences which happened along the way.  I am beginning to think the whole of Italy will be like this--something great around every corner.  So far, my luck is holding, with interesting things and great food everywhere I turn up. On this trip I was travelling with my sister, first to Venice and then to the Po River Delta, before our return to Rome and then her return to Alaska.

Guide books in English do not mention the Po Delta all that much, but when you mention it to Italians they all say “Ahhh!!”  We found it because it is a large natural area with significant birding all year.  It is a national park:  Parco del Delta del Po.  It is just south of Venice and still in the Veneto Region.

The Po River is a long river which starts in the mountainous area in the north and west of Italy and drains the whole north of the country.  It has been fertile and productive farming country at least since 800 BC, when the Etruscans began trading food to the Greeks from towns and ports in the Po Valley.  Several large channels enter the Adriatic Sea in the large delta area. Italians seem to say “Ahhh!!” in part because of the fame of the produce of the area and its current fame as a locale for

 agrotourism and the “slow food” movement.  One goes there to eat, ride bicycles, observe nature, and relax.  Books and journals seem to be devoted to restaurants and local products.  B&B’s are all over, agrotourism farms are common and it is a pretty easy place to visit.  Not that much English spoken--it looks to us like the majority of tourists are other Italians.

We had a rented VW Bug convertible, and to our delight we were able to drive with the top down while birdwatching.  The area has had severe floods over the last several weeks and the days before our arrival had much rain.  We struck it lucky with sun.  

Finding our way to our home, Casa di Paola (casadipaola.it), was nerve-wracking but ultimately worked out fine.  It is a remodeled farmhouse in Borgo, a tiny community along the main channel of the Po, outside the merely small community of Papozze.  Getting the key from the tabbacherie, managing to park our car which suddenly seemed large--all accomplished.  What a darling house.  It was cozy and well set up for us, but would be even more darling if you had kids with you--toys and decorations abound which appeal to children.  I might have to borrow some and go back.  A row of tiny little rubber boots--too cute. Paola is a friendly, outgoing woman who persisted in chat despite our lack of language in common. Spanish did ok for us, and sign language. We had fun with her--and she made a wonderful breakfast.

Only one restaurant in the area, but it turned out to be enough--star quality as far as we are concerned.  Le Magnolie in Papozze was a lighted beacon in an area very dark at night; it was friendly, served delicious food and was filled with Italian families and groups of friends. It seems to be a destination restaurant, but just now is the slow season and locals are filling it up.  Plus us, of course.

We had been thinking of going out on a boat with a bird guide but there was a confusion of communication and this is the low season so boats are not going often.  Never mind--we fired up eBird and found out where others had seen good birds. We google-mapped our way around.  From Porto Levante south through lagoons we saw so many water birds--including shelducks and greater flamingos in large numbers, perhaps 1000 ducks and 500 flamingos. What a wonderful treat. The small birds have mainly moved south for the winter but the water birds are coming in from the Arctic and other points north.

November days get dark early, but luckily someone at our lunch stop alerted us to the National Museum of  Archaeology in Adria that is open Italian hours--until 7:30 pm.  Adria is a smallish town on a canal of the Po but was a significant port city 800 years ago.  The Adriatic Sea--duh!  It is named because of the significant trade with Adria from the Greek/Etruscan era through the demise of the Roman empire. Greeks sent delegations to trade with the local Etruscans. When the Romans defeated the Eturscans and then the Greeks, they continued to use Adria as a trading center for goods from the east as well as from the Rhine and Danube drainages. The city remained important until about 100 AD when the main channel of the river moved and the town diminished.

Our good luck is that a local noble family, the Bocchi, developed an interest in archaeology in the 18th century and continued to excavate graves in the area until the early 20th C. They were careful excavators and good stewards of their finds. They have given their findings to the National Museum, which has displayed the collection beautifully. Late bronze age (maybe 1000 to 800 BC) to the 2nd and 3rd C AD graves were systematically and carefully excavated and documented.  The complete contents (minus human remains) of many graves are displayed showing the change in material items through that time.  Fantastic Greek pottery from the 8th century BC gives way to less skilled but locally made pottery and finally to fine glassware during the Roman era.  Since many of the grave goods were placed in large clay containers, they are intact.  A stunning display of glass from the later period represents more Roman-era glass than I have seen anywhere.

Our further good fortune was to be the only visitors in the evening on a week-day in the middle of November. (Maybe this is not surprising.)  The director of the museum, Dr. Fabrizio Boscarato, recognized our struggle with the signs, which are only in Italian, and gave us a personal tour of the exhibits.  His insight and guidance gave us a richer understanding of the progression and the social changes reflected in the grave goods than we could possibly have managed on our own.

A Celtic grave from 5th C. BC invasions, with skeletons of 3 horses and a chariot with harness, is a highlight and a change in grave type from the local nobility through the ages.  It appears that the grave was robbed in antiquity so no body or other grave goods were found.  The style of harness and related items left by the robbers connect the grave with the Celtic tribes from France who were among those who invaded Italy through the Po river.

The migrations and social changes which affected the area are reflected by traces of Bronze Age, Etruscan, Greek, Celtic and Roman periods.  The Visigoths invaded this area on their way to Rome when they ended the Roman Empire in the late 400’s.  Many people from Adria and all around the general Veneto area were killed; the survivors fled to marshy islands in the Adriatic--this was the end of the northern Adriatic trading area and the founding of Venice.

I am big on museums and antiquities but I have rarely (ok, never) seen anything like this complete record from a single area which was so connected to all the European classical cultures.  A 5-star attraction in a 5-star day.