Podelta (Po Delta)

The Po Delta is a region about 50 km south of Venice. Here the Po River, several hundred meters wide, flows into the Adriatic Sea. Besides the wide Po, there are many other tributaries and channels in the natural park. There are also many floodplains.

By Maurizio Ceol, CC BY 3.0, link

If you are on vacation in Venice, a city with little green space, you can make a trip to the Regional Park. The area is ideal for hiking and cycling. There is still little activity in the Po Delta, tourism is still small. So in many ways the opposite of Venice.

Of course, there are also people who vacation in the Po Delta and want to make a trip to Venice. So you can combine a nature vacation with a visit to the grandiose city of Venice.

The "Parco regionale del Delta del Po" is a regional park, which is roughly equivalent to the German nature park. So the Delta of the Po is not a national park, but just one step below. There are only five regional parks in the whole of Italy.

The two large villages in the Po River delta are Porto Viro (on the north bank of the Po) and Taglio di Po (on the south bank). The villages are connected by a bridge and are only 1 to 2 km apart. It is a bridge several hundred meters long over the wide river. It is the last bridge over the most famous river of Italy before it flows into the Adriatic Sea about 10 km further east. In both places there are hotels and apartments.

Tourists in the Po Delta include hikers and people on bicycles, as well as canoeists and birdwatchers. The 6 arms of the Po River of the natural region are very navigable with small boats like canoes. One should of course have experience with such boats. Bird watching and photographing is especially exciting in a region with about 370 species of birds. There are hardly any beaches here. Beach tourists, for example, can vacation a few kilometers to the north in Rosolina Mare. It is a gigantic beach resort on a peninsula.

Podelta from and to Venice

You drive by car from the Po Delta via Chioggia to Venice. In total it is about 60 kilometers to the old town of Venice. You can then park in Venice in one of the large parking garages (reserve here). These are right next to the old town.

If you want to explore Venice by public ferries (water buses), you can buy tickets online in advance at this German-language website.

Public transportation such as buses is almost non-existent in the rather deserted region of the Podelta Nature Park. Almost all visitors to the region come by car.

Getting around the Podelta

There are many narrow roads in the nature park at the mouth of the Po. For the most part, cars are allowed to drive on them. Some are so narrow that you have to give way to oncoming traffic. Some roads also go directly along the river Po (see picture above). You can also drive to the mouth of the river. It is a very sparsely populated area.

In addition to the car, the bicycle or e-bike is also an ideal means of transport in the Delta in good weather. With it you can also ride on narrower paths.

Walking or hiking is also possible, but the distances are relatively long. There is hardly any public transport like buses.

So it is an advantage if you have a car. You can also get everywhere by bike. Cycling in the Podelta is easy, because the area is flat. However, it is not uncommon for it to be a bit windy.

Nature podelta

The delta is a unique landscape. Many areas are under water only sometimes, when the water level is high. There are areas in the natural park where the salt water of the Mediterranean mixes with the fresh water of the Po. Such areas are called brackish water areas. There are extensive areas of reeds, which are particularly valuable ecologically.

There are many rare animals and plants in the region. There are few large animals. 370 bird species have been counted in the Podelta. This is extremely much compared to other nature reserves. In addition, there are many fish, insects and some reptiles and amphibians. Protected is the rare Italian jumping frog. With some luck you can see turtles (European pond turtle) in the Podelta. There are many frogs, like pond frogs or tree frogs.

Forests are almost non-existent in the Podelta; open landscapes and areas with water are typical. New animals introduced by humans include the nutria and the American bullfrog. The most important predator in the Delta of the Po is the fox.

A few kilometers north is a large beach resort called Rosolina Mare. Our page about Rosolina Mare

 

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