Leaving Porta Paola behind you, turn left towards the walls' rampart which leads to the Po di Volano river: you will leave the city's South-East side towards Aguscello. Paved roads and nice grassy paths will alternate, running along channels that flow through the luxuriant countryside, in which traditional local crops are grown seasonally. After 20 km you will reach the Municipality of Voghiera, where you can enjoy some archaeology and history in the Roman Necropolis of Voghenza and the Museum of historical Modelling.
Sito ufficiale di informazione turistica della provincia di Ferrara
EN
Delizie and Nature
A journey in the Estense Duchy
Starting point from
Porta Paola - Ferrara
Duration
70 km
Length
3 days
Transport methods
70 kilometers long itinerary for trained walkers, to divide into 2 or 3 legs. Mainly on unpaved, countryside roads, especially after leaving Ferrara's city centre. The walk runs along channels or ancient rivers in a plain area, preferably during mid-seasons when the weather is nicer.
Start: Porta Paola - Wall Documentation Centre
Length: 70 km
Travel time: 3 or 4 days by foot
Road: Paved and unpaved
Connections to other itineraries: The city walls, Renaissance Ring
Day 1: Ferrara - Voghiera
Step 1
Porta Paola
It is located in the middle of the southern stretch of the city walls and it had military and excise functions. Now the inside of Porta Paola is a technological Visitor Center, with an interactive SmartMap that allows visitors to discover the history of the walls in the South of Ferrara
Day 2: Voghiera - Ostellato
Beyond Voghiera’s centre lies the Estense Delizia of Belriguardo, once the Este family’s summer palace, and now home to the Civic Museum. In Gambulaga, the white Delizia del Verginese stands proudly against the blue sky, a symbol of the court’s splendour and grandeur.
Continuing onward, you’ll get to Ostellato, where the freshwater lagoons are home to a Wildlife Protection Oasis. From this point, the route grows increasingly wild, leading walkers along the right embankment of the Canale Circondariale Gramigne Fosse, and exiting onto Strada Mezzano.
Step 1
Delizia del Belriguardo
The Este summer estate of Belriguardo in Voghiera was named the “Este Versailles”: it is the most luxurious Delizia, with many frescos made by the most famous artists of the time and unbelievable gardens, which made this place an actual oasis of beauty.
Day 3: Comacchio
The last stretch of the journey goes through a landscape shaped by large-scale land reclamation, with a geometrically structured expanse of agricultural fields. Not far off is the archaeological site of the ancient Etruscan city of Spina, and finally, Comacchio – a charming city cradled by the waters of its canals and lagoons.
Step 1
Valli di Comacchio
The Lagoons are what is left of a 11.000 hectare complex, progressively reduced after the land reclamations. It is an area of salt water - for fishing -, in which salt water enters from the sea and fresh water from the river.
