The Po Delta between Memory and Future - Four Centuries Later the River Po Cut-Off


Introduction The Colonization of the Lower Po Plain The Po Delta before the Cut-Off Venice, the Delta, and the Adriatic Sea The Great Reclamation Project by the House of Este First Projects for the Porto Viro Cut-Off The Cut-Off The Development of the New Lands New Delta, New Conflicts The Landscape of the Delta between the 19th and 20th Century Land Reclamation and Large Landed Estates After World War II The Parks of the Po Delta Education through Workshops Window on the Territory The Architecture of the Lower Polesine Rice Cultivation in the Delta The Salt Pans: Environment and Work The Territory of Emilia-Romagna	First Projects for the Porto Viro Cut-Off The first project for a cut-off involving the river Po can be found in a 1556 report by the engineers Cristoforo Sabbadino and Giovanni Carrara from Venice. In 1558, the famous cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi suggested to Venice to cut the river Po in Porto Viro. A much more complex project was presented to the Venetian Senate in 1562 by Marino Silvestri, a rich land owner from Loreo: the project considered excavating a new riverbed. On 17th November 1569, also the humanist Luigi Groto from Adria asked the Senate to perform the cut-off.	Ariano nel Polesine in GLISENTI ANTONIO, Settore del Delta tra il Po di Goro e l'Adige, 1587. Venice, State Archive Valle Malipiera territory between Fornase branch and Taglio Nuovo, 16th-17th century. Venice, State Archive Venice Lagoon. Rovigo, Accademia dei Concordi (the north on the right)
	Project of the cut-off, in MARINO SILVESTRI, Discorso sopra la regolazione del Po, Venice 1563. Rovigo, Accademia dei Concordi
Cesare d'Este, engraving. Ferrara, Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea	The Defence of the Lagoon At the end of the 16th century, the hydrography of the Delta changed: Po di Tramontana branch became the main branch and its current led the river sediments in the Lagoon, threatening to silt it up. Venice blamed the Duke of Este for this, since he detached Abate branch from the river Po. If this situation had lasted, the Delta could develop in a north-east direction, closing in the Lagoon Chioggia mouth and maybe also Malamocco mouth.	M. BONDESAN, Reconstruction of the possible silting up of the Lagoon mouth if the cut-off had not been performed
Marino Grimani from CUSTOS DOMINICUS, Atrium heroicum Caesarum, regum ... imaginibus... illustr[atum], Augsburg 1600	The Protagonists and the Negotiations The Duke of Ferrara Alfonso II died in 1597 with no direct heirs and the following year the territory of Ferrara was confiscated by the Papal State. Venice started negotiations with the Papacy to perform the cut-off. From March 1599 to June 1600, visits to the Delta were organized, as well as meetings between the Venetians and papal representatives in order to decide about the cut-off. On 10th May 1600, Cardinal Blandrata, emissary of the Pope, met the Venetian representative Alvise Zorzi in Papozze and on 7th June they agreed that the Venetians could not close Po delle Fornaci, that the cut-off banks had to be strong, and that the works could not go beyond the fixed limits. "Papozze Convention" was ratified in Rome by Pope Clement VIII and in Venice by Doge Marino Grimani.	Cardinal Blandrata, engraving, Ferrara. Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea Clement VIII, engraving. Ferrara, Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea
Journey of Pope Clement VIII. Ferrara, Biblioteca Comunale Ariostea Portrait of Luigi Groto called the Blind Man of Adria, first half of the 18th century, oil on canvas, unknown Venetian painter (copy from Jacopo Tintoretto). Adria, Municipal Library	CRISTOFORO SORTE, Drawing representing Polesine with its surrounding meadows, drawing, 16th century. Rovigo, Accademia dei Concordi

Leader+ Community Initiative Measure 2.1 Action 2.1a) "Interterritorial Cooperation"
Project: "Historical-Cultural Heritage Enhancement and Tourist Promotion of the Po Delta Territory"
Action A: Po Delta "Heritage Promotion"