Discover things to do in Calto: the San Rocco festival, a bike ride in Calto, the church of San Rocco. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Calto located?
The municipality of Calto borders Ceneselli to the north, Sermide and Felonica to the south, Salara to the east, and Castelmassa to the west.
The San Rocco festival
The 2023 edition of the San Rocco festival took place from Wednesday 16 to Tuesday 22 August on Via Roma and Piazza IV Novembre.
A recommended event for food lovers, the traditional celebration features large marquees where you can choose from tempting dishes that showcase local products, from risotto alla pilota with “puntel” ribs and tortelli with radicchio and pumpkin with butter and sage to succulent ribs with beans, to be enjoyed with cold pints of beer and local wines.
If you are wondering what to do in Calto, the ancient folk festival combines the solemnity of the votive Mass and procession in honor of the patron saint with the carefree and jovial atmosphere of a bygone festival, featuring amusement parks, theatrical performances, orchestra music, dance shows, electronic music concerts, Latin American dance nights, exquisite food and wine specialties, and thrilling fireworks displays set against the backdrop of a charming town immersed in the Rovigo countryside crossed by the Po River.
For more information about the San Rocco festival, you can check the Facebook page Calto – la piazza virtuale di Caltès.
Bike ride in Calto and Salara
The starting point of the itinerary is Piazza IV Novembre. Leave the town hall entrance on your right and head southwest for 140 meters along Via Vittorio Emanuele, then turn right onto Via Felice Cavallotti. Follow Via Felice Cavallotti for 350 meters, then keep left onto Via Moiette and follow the uphill road until you reach Via Argine Po. Turn left and head southeast for 6.2 km, following the wide bends of Italy’s longest river.
Along the way, you can admire evocative river islands shaped by the current, partly hidden by dense marsh vegetation of thick reeds and the swaying crowns of lush willows, cypress poplars, birches, alders, and many other tall trees.
To your left stretches the boundless Calto agricultural landscape, covered with cornfields that surround ancient farmhouses and farmsteads immersed in greenery. At this point (44.969963795739844, 11.418262821887197), descend the embankment and proceed along Via Bosco Papino in the shade of an avenue of silk trees (Albizia julibrissin), an Asian tree species recognizable by its characteristic pods, leaves similar to mimosa, and pink flowers formed by thin stamens.
At the intersection, cross Via Dante Alighieri and head north along provincial road 1 for 4.1 km, crossing the urban center of Salara. After passing Casa Pepoli (Il Castello di Sariano), turn left onto Via XI Febbraio and proceed for 4.1 km along provincial road 11, then turn left onto Via XXV Aprile. At the intersection, turn right and follow Via XXV Aprile for 350 meters, then take the cycle-pedestrian path on your left.
Cross the pedestrian crossing, turn left again, and continue along the bike path south for 1.6 km. Along the way, on your right (45.001652409323704, 11.362724771529003), stands the towering red brick chimney of a kiln, a fascinating example of early 20th-century industrial architecture.
At the roundabout, go under the underpass and continue along Via Giuseppe Garibaldi for 550 meters until you return to the starting point.
The church of San Rocco
The facade of the 18th-century church is divided into two registers separated by a white molded string course. Both registers are marked by Doric pilasters framing two pairs of superimposed niches containing statues of saints.
The upper register is connected to the lower one by two curved sloping wings, at the ends of which rise pyramidal spires.
Inside, the place of worship is divided into three naves delimited by wide round arches supported by pillars, surmounted by a majestic barrel vault with lunettes. If you are wondering what to do in Calto, the church of San Rocco is an extraordinary spiritual and cultural landmark in the province of Rovigo, housing precious polychrome marble altars and enchanting paintings.
