COMACCHIO ET LES VALLI DI COMACCHIO

Comacchio is a town situated in Emilia Romagna, a region in the North of Italy. It is located on the Adriatic coast in the province of Ferrara, at about 30 km from Ravenna in the south and 120 km from Venice and 250 km from Lake Garda in the north.

Comacchio is situated in a lagoon just north of the present mouth of the Reno. It is built on more than thirteen different islets, joined by bridges. The most important resources of these wetlands are the fish farming and the salt ponds. The seaport of Porto Garibaldi lies 7 kilometres (4 mi) to the east. The wetlands south of the town, the Valli di Comacchio, are classified as a Site of Community Importance and a Special Protection Area in Italy.

Comacchio is one of the biggest centers in the Po Delta. Heir to ancient Spina, it has very old origins, was built in the Middle Ages on thirteen islands and founded exclusively on its urban and economic development. Fishing and salt production were the source of its prosperity.

Nowadays Comacchio still remains a city with unique architectural characteristics, inhabited by people proud of their origins, a city of canals, palaces and monumental bridges. Comacchio, called the “little Venice” is in fact a lagoon city, its waters travel far and wide, and for some distance they surround it like long time ago, when you could only reach it on board vessels. In 1821 the city was joined to the mainland.

The Trepponti Bridge is a symbol of the city: from this bridge the inland waters are distributed by a dense network of canals, along which low and colorful houses, and the rows of boats from various dimensions are reflected in perfect symmetry. If you want to take advantage of the atmosphere of this little town, you can have a walk through the several canals on which the city is built.

The historic town centre with its old churches and builidings are also worth a visit.

Moreover, Comacchio converves the traces of its maritime past in its Museums. Among these two are of particolar interest: the one dedicated to the Roman Ship Cargo and the one dedicated to the Pickling Factory. The richness of Comacchio lies in its natural landscape which is part of the protected area of the Po Delta Park. Within the Comacchio lagoons and its saltworks, that are visitable on foot or by bike you can see several bird species.