Discover things to do in Villanova Marchesana: bike ride in Villanova Marchesana, the church of Santa Maria Assunta, former Etna kiln. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Villanova Marchesana?
The municipality of Villanova Marchesana borders Gavello to the north, Riva del Po to the south, Adria and Papozze to the east, and Crespino to the west.
Bike ride in Villanova Marchesana
The starting point of the itinerary is the parking lot near the church of Santa Maria Assunta. Exit the parking lot and take the road leading to the top of the embankment, then keep left and proceed east for 5 km along Via Argine Po Fornace.
The first stretch of the route offers breathtaking views of the winding course of the Po River, the natural border between Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, and the lush riparian vegetation covering its banks. The tangle of willows, cypress poplars, mulberries, elderberries, hornbeams, and dense thickets of common reeds contrasts with the precise and rigorous arrangement of lush poplar groves that cloak the fertile floodplain area.
Leave the church of Santi Bartolomeo e Carlo on your left and continue along Via Argine Po Fornace for about 400 meters, then turn left into Via Braglia. Follow Via Braglia for 400 meters, then turn left into Viale Francesco Bottoni. Cross Piazza della Chiesa and take the bike path on your right leading to Borgo.
At the intersection, turn right and follow Via Borgo (keeping left) until the intersection with the provincial road. Turn left and proceed for 1.8 km between wheat fields and large rustic brick buildings framed by lush hedges, then turn right into Via Peschiera. The route runs north for 2.6 km through the silent countryside of the Rovigo area, dotted with rural farmhouses shaded by cedars and cypress poplars. At this point (45.00650602901131, 12.001381883833028) turn left into Via Isolella and proceed southwest for about 3 km along Via Isolella and Via Goresina, following a sinuous canal with grassy banks.
At the intersection with SP 33, keep right, cross the road, and take Via Roma, then proceed for 450 meters until you return to the church of Santa Maria Assunta.
If you are wondering what to do in Villanova Marchesana, this short bike itinerary is recommended for those who wish to immerse themselves in the serene countryside landscape of the Polesine area and admire splendid examples of rural architecture surrounded by greenery.
The church of Santa Maria Assunta
Located at Via Chiesa, 2, the church of Santa Maria Assunta stands at the southern end of Villa Marchesana, on the embankment of the Po River.
Facing west, the place of worship has a brick facade vertically divided into three parts by two pairs of pilasters topped with white Ionic capitals. Accessible through a massive wooden portal surmounted by a projecting triangular tympanum, the church is crowned by a sinuous pediment adorned with vase-shaped pinnacles. From the curved pediment, two sloping arched wings extend, at the ends of which rise two pyramidal pinnacles.
The bright nave of the place of worship includes four niches housing the side altars. The ceiling of the church (perhaps once coffered) overlooks a splendid floor punctuated by a geometric checkerboard pattern.
Former Etna and Totti kilns
Where is the former Etna kiln?
Starting from the church of Santa Maria Assunta, leave the facade of the place of worship behind you and take the road leading to Via Argine Po Fornace. After about 160 meters, the side road on your left leads to the river landing Piarda “Amici del Po”.
From this perspective, looking west, it is easy to be struck by the imposing brick mass of the former Etna kiln, a fascinating example of 19th-century industrial architecture harmoniously set in the Po floodplain area.
Rising five floors plus an attic, the structure is topped by a partly collapsed double-pitched roof. Wrapped in a thick mantle of ivy, the soaring red brick chimney towers of the former kiln compete in height with tall trees.
If you are wondering what to do in Villanova Marchesana, the former Etna kiln is one of the most mysterious, fascinating, and photogenic spots in the municipality.
