Porto Tolle

Foto di Gastone Dissette

Marshes, sandbanks, islands: a one-of-a-kind territory

The origin of the name of Porto Tolle is odd.

This area was called San Nicolò until 1867, then the Town Council wanted to “fix a name not liable to confusion with other municipalities of the Kingdom” and the result was “Porto Tolle, a name known by all, as much for navigation and the importance of this tributary of the Po, which is the main among all tributaries, which run into the sea".

Porto Tolle is enclosed between the tributaries of the Po di Maistra and of the Po di Gnocca and is cut in half by the Po di Venezia. These tributaries effectively create three islands: the island of CÃ Venier, the island of Donzella and the island of Polesine Camerini.

The area around Porto Tolle is unique in its kind and is characterized by marshes, “sandbanks”, creeks, “swashes”, islands with sandy beaches not yet man-made, tributaries of the abandoned river, floodplains, pockets and lagoons including the charming and scenic Sacca degli Scardovari. The latter is the ideal habitat of the famous Scardovari mussels PDO, who find here one of the places where they are more intensively farmed. Travelling along the road that skirts the pocket - beautiful to do on a bike - you can closely observe the various phases of aquaculture.

Add to all this the most interesting feature: i.e. that of being on average 2 meters below sea level, with peaks of 4 meters! And then to be completely surrounded by tall banks that sometimes form a sort of natural amphitheatre that divides the mainland from the water to prevent flooding by the Po.

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