Why is the river in Italy called po. Ancient Italy. An excerpt characterizing the Rivers of Italy

The Ligurians, who inhabited in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. northwestern Italy, they called this river Bodincos, which means "bottomless". Bodingus, repeated after them those who displaced the Ligurians in the 5th century. BC e. Celts. The ancient Greeks gave her the name Eridanus, the ancient Romans - Padua, the linguistic trace remained in the names of Padania (the Po plain) and Padua (a city in the Veneto region). And the name "Po" is very similar to the abbreviation of the dialect variant Podus, as well as Pau and echoes the first syllable of the name Bodinkos. In the north-east of Italy, in the river delta, the Etruscans lived at the same time as the Ligurians. The Romans arrived there in the 3rd century. BC e., but the economic development of the territory began in the I century. BC e. Local clay soils are excellent raw materials for the production of bricks and terracotta tiles, and soon brick began to flow from here to Rome. The Romans also mined wood and salt here. In parallel, and there is also a lot of material evidence for this, the Romans drained the swamps by digging canals, and strengthened the banks, lining them with stone and planting pine trees on the sandbanks. And from the III century. created their fortresses, ports and cities.
The Po begins in the Kotsky Alps and rushes first to the northeast, and then to the east. Near the city of Po, it reaches a width of 200 m and an average water discharge of about 100 m 3 / s. Continuing its way to the east, it sometimes makes arcuate retreats to the north or south and receives full-flowing tributaries into its channel. After confluence with Tanaro, the flow of water becomes already more than 500 m 3 / s, merging with Ticino in the province of Pavia, the Po accelerates its flow to 900 m 3 / s and becomes navigable from Piacenza. Rivers from the spurs of the Apennines increase the flow of water up to 1540 m 3 / s. Until 1797, the Apennine Reno River was also a tributary of the Po, but due to severe floods at their confluence, the Reno channel was set aside. The Po flows into the Adriatic Sea, forming a small but branched delta, in which there are only six large groups of branches, and small ones, interspersed with islets and lagoons, cannot be counted. Traditionally, the Po basin is associated with the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Balle d "Aosta, and partially with Veneto, the autonomous province of Trento and Liguria. Among the major cities of the Padana Plain, Turin, Venice, Bologna and Ferrara are noted first of all. To the Po basin they also include Piacenza, Cremona, Parma, Mantua and other, not so famous, but also historical cities, standing on its tributaries or connected with it through a complex network of man-made canals. where rice, wheat, oats, sugar beet are cultivated Numerous farms with more than 4 million head of cattle and more than 5 million pigs are surrounded by orchards and vineyards. in order to fill the markets of all cities in the north of the country with local products.
The Po Delta is a world with a unique landscape: mighty elms on the islands, thickets of reeds, and between them - swampy backwaters dotted with lilies and water lilies, and thickets of other "water roses". The National Natural Park of the Delta, belonging to the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, occupies 58,000 hectares. This is a habitat for many species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, about 380 species of vertebrates, including more than 300 species of birds, for the sake of observing which thousands of tourists come here. Since ancient times, on the arms of the delta, people created dams on the way of schools of fish, in which fish were bred. Salt was mined from salt marshes. The so-called salt towers and tabarras have been preserved - sheds made of stone for storing boats, nets and other fishing equipment. Some of them are now turned into small ethnographic museums. And today almost all the islands of the delta are inhabited by fishermen. Delta has seven beaches, the total length of which is 23 km.
As for the architecture of cities, almost every sight of them is a work of high art. As in many other regions of Italy. But here it should be noted that the Padan Plain in this sense is far from the end of the list. Turin, the fourth largest city in Italy after Rome, Milan (which is also located on the Padana Plain) and Naples, has been the industrial and financial center of the country since the 6th century. was the center of the Lombard kingdom (Lombardy), in the XIII century. went to the Dukes of Savoy, who left the largest number of architectural monuments in the city and its environs. In 1720-1860 (with interruptions) Turin was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1861-1870 - of the Kingdom of Italy. One of the most famous sights of the city is the Shroud of Turin, the debate about the authenticity of which does not subside. Piacenza, founded by the Romans in 218, who called it in Latin Placentia (“pleasing to everyone”), tries to live up to this, one might say, programmatic name, and it succeeds quite well - both due to the sights and thanks to the refined atmosphere, as noted many travelers. For the church of San Sisto of this city, Raphael painted the “Sistine Madonna” (her copy is now hanging there). Cremona is the same age as Piacenza. This small town has a huge world fame in music, thanks to the unsurpassed violin makers Amati, Stradivari and Guarneri. In Cremona, its medieval part has been perfectly preserved. Ferrara arose as a refuge for refugees from Aquileia during the invasion of the Huns (452). Art historians speak of the "Ferrara civilization", referring to the number of architectural masterpieces left by the d'Este house that ruled this duchy city. In addition to the world famous Po Delta Park, which is divided into two regional parks of the Emilia-Romagna and Veneto regions, in In the Po basin, there are about 60 small but well-groomed regional natural parks and reserves, where the flora and fauna of the valley are represented, and each of the cities of the plain has its own unique individual features and historical monuments.
The relationship between man and the valley, in addition to economic and cultural, has another important aspect - natural and ecological. Here in the foreground is the problem of floods, especially in autumn, during the period of intense long rains (in autumn 2011, one of the bridges in Turin collapsed). On the one hand, much is being done to protect cities and agricultural land from them. On the other hand, the pumping of groundwater during reclamation leads to a decrease in the level of the drained territory, which expands the area of ​​floods: it is known that soils in the Po Valley sink by an average of 2-3 cm per year. Therefore, motorways near large cities often stand on monumental concrete supports . Equally important is the problem of water pollution. Surprisingly, but true: in 2002, Milan did not yet have reliable urban wastewater treatment plants; the situation has now been corrected. In the same year, the Interregional Agency for the River Po was created, in which the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto are represented. The Agency controls the construction and operation of hydraulic structures, port infrastructure, monitors the state of the river in order to predict floods. Since 1990, the interregional Po River Basin Council has been operating, in 2009 it adopted a 60-point plan for the period up to 2015, which includes such measures as raising and strengthening dams, expanding natural protected areas, especially wetlands, preserving and restoring hydromorphological characteristics rivers, forest plantations.

general information

The most big river Italy. Navigable for small coasters from Piacenza to the mouth.
Source: Kotsky Alps, at an altitude of 2022 m.
Left tributaries: Pellice, Dora Riparia, Dora Baltea, Agony, Ticino, Lambro, Adda, Olho, Mincio, Olona.
Right tributaries: Varanta, Maira, Tanaro, Scrivia, Nure, Curone, Trebbia, Taro, Parma, Enza, Secchia, Panaro. In the delta, it breaks up into five large groups of branches (Po di Maestra, Po della Pila, Po delle Tolle, Po di Gnocca and Po di Goro). Po di Maestra through the Bianco (Tartaro) channel forms the sixth arm - Po di Levante.
Population of the Po Plain: about 16 million people
Population density: maximum - on the banks of the Lambro tributary (Lombardy), 1478 people / km 2, minimum - south of the Trebbia river basin, 25 people / km 2.
Mouth: Adriatic Sea.
The largest cities on the banks of the Po: Turin, Piacenza, Cremona.
Major airport: international Airport in Turin.

Numbers

Length: 652 km.
Pool area in Italy: 71,057 km2.
Average consumption water: 1540 m 3 /s: at the mouth: up to 13,000 m 3 /s.
Maximum width to mouth: 400 m (after the confluence of the Olho).
Total water intake: 20.5 billion m 3 /year.
Water intake from underground sources: 6 billion m 3 / year.
Water abstraction from surface waters: 14.5 billion m 3 /year.
Delta area: 380 km 2 (territory national park in the delta - 58,000 ha, or 580 km 2). In a broader sense, the Po Delta also includes swampy and connected by small channels lands in the province of Ferrara in the area between the city of Ferrara and the Valli di Comacchio lagoon, taking this into account, the area of ​​​​the delta is about 1500 km 2 and tends to increase.
Salinity level of water in the delta: 3% o.

Economy

The Po basin area is home to approximately 46% of the economically active population of Italy, which creates about 40% country's GDP. Electricity consumption in the region accounts for 48% of domestic consumption. Cascades of hydroelectric power stations operate on several left tributaries of the Po.
The largest industrial center of the Po basin is Turin: heavy metallurgy, automotive industry (80% of all cars produced in the country), mechanical engineering (wagons, tractors), production of marine engines and ball bearings, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, clothing, food industries; River navigation. Almost all cities below Piacenza have ports or marinas. There are 14 ports for fishing and pleasure boats in the delta region. In the delta - fishing and shellfish farming.
Service sector: tourism (including river cruises and ecological tourism in the delta).

Climate and weather

In general - continental, soft, humid, close to the Mediterranean (in different regions the valley oscillates one way or the other).
Winters are short, short-term frosts occur (in Turin and its environs), but the most frequent winter phenomenon- strong fogs.
January average temperature:+3°С.
July average temperature:+26°С.
Average annual rainfall: 900 mm.

Attractions

■ Objects world heritage UNESCO: the Po Delta, the palaces of the House of Savoy in Turin and its environs, early Christian monuments in the city of Ravenna, the Renaissance part of the city of Ferrara;
■ city ​​of Turin: Cathedral, Duomo (Renaissance, XV century), Sulerga Basilica (Baroque, XVIII century). Royal Palace (Renaissance, 17th century), Palazzo Cavour (Baroque, 18th century). Palazzo Madama (Museum of Antiquities and Fine Arts - a 13th-century castle built on the ruins of a Roman gate, decorated in the 18th century with elements in the Lemont Baroque style), palaces of the Savoy House, in the city and its environs, Renaissance and Baroque, XVII in Real (Royal Palace), Valentno. Racconigi, Stupinigi, Carignano; Mole Antonelliana Tower (Cinema Museum, Neo-Gothic, 19th century). Museum of Egypt;
■ city ​​of Pavia: Church of San Michele Maggiore (XI-XII centuries) - an example of the Lombard Romanesque style, Certosa Monastery (XIV-XV centuries): paintings, frescoes, sculptures by Borgognone, Perugino, Luini, Guercino. Cathedral. Duomo (founded in the 15th century);
■ city ​​of Mantua: the historical center of the city - the Rotonda di San Lorenzo (XI century), the churches of San Francesco (XIV century), San Andrea (XV century), San Sebastiano (XV century). Mantua Cathedral (XIV-XVIII centuries), Reggia - the palace of the Dukes of Gonzaga (XIII-XIV centuries). Virgil Academy and its Science Museum.
■ city ​​of Alessandria: Museum of the Battle of Marengo;
■ Piacenza city: religious buildings in the Lombard-Romanesque style with Gothic elements - Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady (1122-1235), Basilica of San Antonio (1122-1253), San Savino (consecrated in 1107, rare floor mosaics of the 12th century .); San Francesco (laid down in 1278); Romanesque and Renaissance: Churches of Santa Maria di Campagna (1522-1528, Pordenone frescoes): San Giovanni on the Canal (XIII century), San Sisto (1499-1511), Palazzo Comunale ( XIII-XIV centuries), Palazzo Landi (XIV-XV centuries), Palazzo Farnese (XVI century), Piazza Cavalli (XVI century), Palazzo dei Mercanti (XVII century);
■ city ​​of Cremona: Lombard-Romanesque style with Gothic elements - Cremona Cathedral, Duomo (XII century), Torrazzo tower 112.1 m high (XII century), Church of San Michele (XIII century). Loggia dei Militi ("Society of Warriors"), buildings of the public meeting, XIII e .; the archaeological museum, the Ala Ponzone Museum (founded in the 16th century, a collection of two thousand paintings and sculptures), the Stradivarius Museum;
■ city ​​of Ferrara: early Christian basilicas of San Michele (V-VI centuries) and San Giorgio (VII century, ХІV-ХVI centuries); Cathedral, Duomo (Romanesque-Gothic style, XII-XV centuries) c.); renaissance - Skifanoia Palace (XIV-XV centuries), D "Este Castle (XV century), Romen House (XV century), Lodovico Moro Palace (XV century), Diamond Palace (XVI century);
■ Pamposa Abbey (commune of Codigoro) - one of the main cultural centers of medieval Italy and architectural masterpiece Romanesque and Byzantine style. Known since the 9th century;
■ Castle D "Este in the commune of Meeola (Renaissance, 1604).

Curious facts

■ Hydraulic sluices in the Po delta appeared in the 4th century BC. e. They were built by the Etruscans to deepen the channel and extract the salt brought by the sea tides.
■ The Porto Vinciane irrigation canal system in the province of Ferrara is named after Leonardo da Vinci, who designed it. The main technical idea of ​​this system is the use of a network of hydraulic pumps: with their help, excess water flows into the sea, and special locks do not allow it to move back to the plain.
■ The town of Comacchio (about 10,000 people), occupying 13 small islands connected by bridges in the Po delta, is called little Venice. It was founded under the emperor Octavian Augustus in the 1st century BC. on the site of the Etruscan city of Spina, known from the 3rd century BC. BC h. Comacchio hosts the International Ecotourism Fair every year.
■ Antonio Stradivari never left Cremona in his life and created about 2,500 instruments, of which 732 are indisputably authentic, including 632 violins.

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Translated from ancient Greek "Italy" means "country of calves". So the Hellenes called only the southern part of the Apennine Peninsula and the large and small islands adjacent to it, fat herds grazed here already in those days.
Conventionally, ancient Italy consisted of three parts:

• South- Calabria, Apulia, Bruttius and Lucania.
• Medium- Latium, Etruria, Umbria, Campania, Samnium and Picenum.
• Northern- Cisalpine Gaul, Liguria and Venice.

Rome by the 1st century BC. e. subjugated the entire peninsula, Romanized it, and the established Italian people began to speak Latin. The legend calls the exact date formation of the city of Rome - April 21, 753 BC. e. Under the concept " Ancient Rome" means the entire state and the then civilization, which lasted more than 1200 years, when the Western Roman Empire fell in 476. At the dawn of its existence, Rome was a modest policy, but then:

• subjugated all the Apennines by 265;
• by the middle of the 2nd century BC. e. became the strongest power in the Mediterranean;
• for the I-II centuries AD. e. Rome turned into a colossal empire, absorbing all the richness of the cultures of conquered even more ancient civilizations.

The origin of ancient Roman civilization

The geographical position of ancient Rome largely predetermined the history of its civilization. The Apennine Peninsula became the center of settlement of the future boundless empire. Rome was founded at the mouth of the Tiber River, it was from here that the formation of the Roman state began. when several local settlements, whose inhabitants migrated at the end of the second millennium BC. e. to the Apennines from Central Europe, merged together. These include the Indo-European tribes of the Sabines and Latins. These and other tribes that flooded the Apennines were collectively called "Italics". There was quite a lot in common in their languages, way of life and beliefs. The settlers spoke Latin among themselves, they called the area along the Tiber bed Latium. Thanks to this, various peoples rather quickly "melted" into a single ethnic group, which we call the "ancient Romans".
For a long time after coming to the Apennines tribes were mainly engaged in cattle breeding, which was facilitated by natural conditions. Fertile valleys were located near the sea and along the banks of the rivers, for example, the famous Campania, where Vesuvius smokes. As soon as people learned how to make iron tools, intensively arable farming began to develop. True, the lack of land was immediately discovered. The Romans solved this problem simply - they unleashed constant wars, first on the territory of Italy itself, and then rushed beyond the Apennines. The conquered lands inside Italy were called colonies by the Romans, and remote acquisitions were called provinces. This predetermined the development of the social system and way of life of the ancient Romans in line with the solution of military tasks. For every Roman military service seemed honorable. To take a public office, a citizen had to make 10 equestrian or 20 foot trips.

Early Roman state and society

At the beginning of the first millennium BC. e. not only Italics came to the north-west of Italy, but also the Etruscans, whose homeland was the territory where Turkey is now located. Hellenes created their numerous colonies in Sicily and the south of the Apennine Peninsula. Their influence on the formation of the civilization of the Romans was incomparable. But the attributes of royal power, religious rites and rituals, the use of facing in the architecture of temples, the Romans borrowed from Etruscans. The last to be dug under Rome was also a system of sewers with stone-lined walls that converged to the main canal.
In an agrarian state, such as ancient Rome was, each of its citizens could cultivate a free piece of land.
At some point in time, seven kings successively ruled Rome, elected by the people and approved by the council of elders - the senate. Their descendants became patricians - the Roman tribal nobility, and commoners were called plebeians. Both of them had external insignia that reinforced political inequality. During the period of royal rule in Rome, the craft separated from Agriculture. Excavations have shown the development at that time of metal processing, weaving, spinning, and pottery. All this created good ground for the activation of internal exchange. Market days were appointed, on which the surrounding villagers could come to trade in the city. The minting of coins began: asses from copper and denarius from silver. Divided by that time into classes, Roman society was drawn into the struggle between the plebeians and the patricians. As is typical of any growing state, Rome periodically experienced crises and periods of prosperity.

Growth of the Roman Empire

culture ancient greece had a decisive influence on the young ancient Roman state. Take at least mythology: in fact, the Romans simply copied all their gods from the Greeks, giving them only their names. So, Zeus turned into Jupiter, Zeus into Hera, Ares into Mars, Aphrodite into Venus, Hermes into Mercury, etc. But at the same time in 280-270 BC. e. a struggle began with the Greeks and South Italians during the wars of conquest. In a short historical period, the Roman Republic subjugated central and southern Italy. But in Sicily, she had to face a powerful Punic power, as a result from 265 BC e. a chain of Punic wars began, stretching for 120 years. Gradually, during these wars, all the lands belonging to Carthage, except for Africa, fell under the possession of Rome, along with war elephants and a fleet. Having successfully carried out three Punic wars, the Roman Republic turned into the most powerful state in the entire western Mediterranean.

Having achieved external power, the state faced a crisis of competent management of new territories. Some Roman generals claimed full power in Rome, trying to imitate the Greek tyrants. The first in 82 BC. e. seized power Lucius Cornelius Sulla, turning into a full-fledged dictator. He ruled for only 3 years and renounced power himself, but there were a lot of dissatisfied with his rule. But the republic was no longer able to return to the previous model of governance, therefore since then began a long time of incessant civil wars. Slave riots periodically broke out on the territory of the empire, for example, the well-known uprising of Spartacus, lasting 3 years. Only the best Roman commanders were able to cope with the rebellious slaves: Mark Lucullus, Mark Crassus and Gnaeus Pompey. The latter, much later, defeated the Pontic king and the Armenians in the East and himself began the struggle for sole power in the republic. Pompey was opposed by the commander beloved in the troops, who managed to capture Gaul and the first to invade the British Isles - he was Gaius Julius Caesar. Caesar won, who became in 49 BC. e. ruler of Rome with unlimited rights, that is, a dictator. He removed all dangerous political opponents, became close with the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, subjugating her country along the way. But after 5 years, Caesar fell from the knife of the conspirators, and civil wars continued again. The next contenders were two former assistants to Caesar - Gaius Octavian and Mark Antony. The latter was supported by Cleopatra. But Octavian defeated the fleet of Cleopatra and Antony, forcing them to commit suicide soon after. Octavian finally annexed Egypt to Rome, turning into the all-powerful ruler of a vast state that stretched almost the entire Mediterranean Sea. He began to call himself Augustus and proclaimed himself the first emperor.
His The Roman Empire reached its peak during the reign of Trajan from 98 to 117. It became maximum in size after the annexation of the eastern part of the Parthian kingdom. True, after the death of this emperor, the Parthians returned their lands. Trajan was replaced by Adrian, during whose reign not only the Parthians, but also the eastern and northern barbarian tribes began to attack the empire. From that moment on, the empire was forced to go on the defensive, starting to build powerful defensive fortifications along the borders everywhere.

The Roman Empire gradually assimilated the culture and traditions of the eastern countries it captured. For example, during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, they began to call him "dominus", which means "master", and complex rituals in the oriental style appeared at the imperial court.
During the reign of Diocletian, the previously united Roman Empire broke up into a western one with its capital in Rome and an eastern one with its capital in Constantinople. Each part was headed by its ruler - "August", whose first deputy was "Caesar". Tired of ruling, August transferred all power to Caesar, and retired himself. This system of transferring power lasted two centuries.

A journey along the meandering Po River, which rises from the Kotsky Alps and flows into the Adriatic Sea, presents amazing landscapes, stunning architecture and helps to better understand the history and culture of the Italian Renaissance. We explored how Italy matured and developed around the enchanting twists and turns of this river.

The Po is the largest waterway in Italy and, according to some, the actual key to the existence of the nation as such. About three thousand years ago, pastoral tribes came here, giving the name of the surrounding territory - "Italy". The exact origin of the name is unknown, but according to one of the more common theories, it translates as "Country of calves". Later, the Etruscans, who took over the local lands, fortified the natural borders to create their own kingdom, but the wild Celtic tribes that lived in the north represented the epicenter of constant conflict. The Romans united both peoples, erected stately cities along curly river bends, from the mouth, located at Mount Viso, near the modern border of Italy and France, to the very delta near the swamps and islands of the Adriatic, infested with birds, not far from the south of Venice.

photo by Flickr, fullerenium-2

The mysterious course of the Po River, like a woman, constantly changes its mood and colors, almost disappearing somewhere, and somewhere manifesting itself as a real ruler of the surrounding landscapes. In spring and autumn, the rains with the melting snows of the Alps turn the river into a furious and ruthless gray stream, twisting entire trees in its path. Summer droughts transform it into a lazy, greenish channel, dotted in imperceptible lines through wide, white beaches and pebbly islands. The Po has several glorious tributaries: the river Tanaro, descending from the mountains in the north of Genoa; Ticino, gracefully closing its sleeves around the rice fields, just below the honorary university city of Pavia; and Ollio, which draws graceful and whimsical patterns along the valleys of Lombardy.

Bassa Padana

In the place where the two districts of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna meet, the birthplace of balsamic vinegar and Ferrari cars, Pau acquires its most majestic tread. It is in this area, stretching east from Piacenza to Ferrara, called by the Italians La Bassa Padana (bassa means lowland, and padana is an adjective derived from the name of the Roman river).

photo by Flickr, Fabrizio Berni - TheTiZ

Bassa is distinguished by its distinctive character, sprawling landscapes under a domed sky adorned with lushly whipped clouds, thickets of gray-green poplars whose long roots cut deep into the rust-red soil, wide fields of maize, passing through yellow villages, each of which is marked by a towering cone. bell towers and luxurious gardens where apples, pears and peaches are grown. Here and there during the 18th and 19th centuries, the local nobility erected county houses, more restrained, but no less solid than the villas of Tuscany and Veneto, each house was surrounded by the so-called English-style park, full of shady paths passing through thickets of lime, plane tree and stocky dark crimson beech.

The specifics of local cuisine

The valley along the Po River now seems to us prosperous and cloudless, deftly combining agricultural business and light industry, but this was far from always the case. For a long time, from the early Middle Ages to the Risogimmento, the great popular movement against foreign domination, striving for the unification of a fragmented Italy, which began in the late 18th century and lasted until the 1870s. In those days, the now serene lands were a real theater of hostilities. Everyone fought, both aggressive invaders representing various superpowers, and ambitious local giants, seeking to grab a tidbit of fertile land. As it always happens, the ordinary peasants suffered the most, they even made up a saying about this: “O Francia, o Spagna, purch? si magna" - "France or Spain, we don't care who wins as long as we have food."

It is not surprising that food is a sacred object in the understanding of the inhabitants of Bassa Padana, however, as well as all Italians. Each city has its own special dish. This was facilitated by the habit of the locals never to throw away something that can be stewed, baked, boiled, fried or bottled.

In the town of Piacenza, almost no lunch is complete without "pisarei e fas?" - "small peas and beans." It is a mixture of beans cooked in broth and small balls of dough, each with a small notch in the middle, in imitation of a split pea. It is said that when a Piacentino is about to get married, his mother checks to see if her daughter-in-law's nails are suitable for pizari notches.

Piacenza

photo by Flickr, storvandre

Piacenza is the ideal place to start your journey along the Po River. The Romans founded the city specifically for army officers and their families, calling it "piacentino" - "glorious place".

The place, in truth, turned out to be glorious and quiet, remaining aloof from the riots and uprisings familiar to the Middle Ages. Perhaps this was facilitated by the powerful Farenze clan, which later owned the local lands. The family never managed to complete the construction of a huge fortified palace, which, according to the idea, was supposed to inspire awe in the locals. The reason for this was the money, which suddenly came to an end when the last Duke of Farnese died in 1731 and the duchy was inherited by his cousin, the future king of Spain, Charles III. Long serving as a military garrison, the palace now serves as a gallery displaying the magnificent Madonna and Child by Botticelli and one of the world's largest collections of various carriages, from elegant landaus upholstered in silk to antediluvian fire carriages, from carriages for the capricious kids of the local aristocracy to the daring wagons of their older sisters and brothers.

Attractions

photo by Flickr, fguidotti

The sculptures decorating Piazza de Cavalli, Piacenza's main square, are dated different centuries. Not satisfied with the palace alone, the dukes Ranuccio and Alessandro Farnese kindly agreed to be captured in the form of Roman soldiers saddling prancing horses. Without fear of sounding unfounded, we can say that these statues, by the Tuscan master Francesco Mochi, are one of the most successful equestrian compositions in the world, expressing a decisive fusion of energy and arrogance. The impression made by the sculptures is so strong that you seem to hear the snorting and neighing of huge war horses, ready at any moment to rush towards the Gothic battlements of the Comunale palace.

To the west of the square, along Via XX Settembre, there is a path to the Cathedral of Piacenza, whose porticoes are decorated with classic long-tailed lions that greet everyone with a typical grin and support columns with sculptural friezes. Around the cathedral is a series of stuccoed mansions - orange, ocher and pink. Some of them were built during the long reign of the quarrelsome Empress Marie Louise, widow of Napoleon, who ruled in Piacenza with her gallant one-eyed lover, Count Adam von Neipperg.

Municipal Theater

photo by Flickr, VitalySky

The chic city theater Municipal, main hall which is a classic horseshoe, divided into small squares of gilded boxes, built in the rebellious era of the 19th century, when riots and revolutions could easily happen in the middle of the second act of the opera.

One of those who were well aware of the details of these occasions was the favorite of the court ladies and gentlemen, the master of the Italian opera, Giuseppe Verdi. The creator of Aida and Rigoletto was born into a humble farming family in the village of Le Roncole, a quiet place south of Parma. Years later, he fulfilled his dreams and purchased a luxurious villa and land in the area. As a born farmer, he preferred talking about market prices for livestock to discussing his own musical creations.

Busseto

Halfway from Le Roncole and Villa Verdi in Sant'Agata is Busseto, a small town where the young musician took his very first lessons in composition and married the daughter of his patron, Antonio Barezzi. The Barezzi House is a memorial museum where a variety of things related to the great Verdi are kept. If you are hungry for his direct creativity, and just hungry, head two doors down to Salsamenteria Storica Baratta, an amazing and unique mix of edible and musical delicacies. This place offers a wide selection of homemade hams, salamis and cheeses, coupled with the sound of stunning Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi and one of Verdi's finest tenors, Carlo Bergonzi, practically a local.

photo by Flickr, kmg1635

In essence, the modern Busseto is not much different from the Busseto of the times of the great composer. The main street was adorned with an arcade with small useful shops, a couple of law offices and several churches, widened at one end into an elegant piazza, with nimble cafeterias on one side and a castle that had a more decorative function than a protective one on the other. A dog naps in the sun, and a quirky old man, whose head is crowned with a worn trilby, talks about the arrangement of the world, sitting on a park bench.

Although every autumn the charming castle theater hosts the Verdi festival, causing some excitement, most of the year Busetto moves in the calm everyday rhythm of a typical town of the Po plain.

Krostolin

photo by Clay McLachlan

Guastalla is an extremely attractive and noteworthy site along the Po River. Between this city and neighboring Luzzara lies a swampy oasis known as Krostolina, where thickets of reeds, shady willows and poplars provide shelter for hundreds of wild ducks and egrets. Here you will find fishermen frozen in the silent calm of contemplating the glossy water, occasional picnickers and sunbathers perched on sandy beaches created by regular droughts, or boats filled with those who want to catch one of the giant river inhabitants, deep-sea, sinister-looking fish, more like huge torpedo.

For the best sailing experience, head further west to Boretto, with its ancient routes to the Maritime Republic of Venice and centuries of shipbuilding tradition.

Mantova

The beauties that the good old river offers cannot be fully understood without seeing its main tributary, which flows along the Lombard plain. English poet John Milton, who visited Italy in 1638, admired the gentle movement of the Michio River, which, almost reaching the Po, divides into two huge lagoons, embracing the city of Mantua, the great ducal capital of the powerful Gonzaga family, where the spirit of sophistication and panache.

This place is a must-see for all connoisseurs of architecture, as it can offer a real treat for the discerning eye: from the neoclassical Palazzo Canossa, with its stunning staircases filled with fine sculptures; the majestic Renaissance Basilica of Sant'Andrea, with its cool grandeur of its halls; the scientific theater of the work of Antonio Galli Bibiena, a hereditary theater architect. It was called scientific, because in addition to performances, it was planned to hold debates, meetings and other educational events in line with the spirit of the era. It was in this theater that on January 16, 1770, a couple of weeks after the opening, the 14-year-old Mozart gave a concert, striking the respected audience with his delightful play, located in cream-gold boxes.

Palazzo Ducale

Several of the most luxurious palaces in the world are located right here in Mantua, each reflecting the main principle of the Italian Renaissance - the beauty and opulence of the decor is the true and most convincing expression of royal power. Palazzo Ducale connects with a gloomy medieval fortress and the 15th-century Domus Nova, whose columned loggia overlooks an austere garden. In addition to the main buildings, at the behest of Gonzaga, impressive courtyards were built, with a chapel that could compete with the size of cathedral; hanging gardens and a series of private apartments decorated with multicolored marble and gilding. But even after all the magnificence seen, the viewer remains completely unprepared for what the Camera degli Sposi offers, painted between 1465 and 1474 with frescoes by Andrea Mantegna, a brilliant native of Mantua.

Palazzo del Te

The artists return time and time again to the Camera degli Sposi to learn the mastery of color and form. Meanwhile, architects, in search of inspiration, flock to the other side of the city, to the Palazzo del Te, where in 1524 Giulio Romano turned the unpretentious stables into an amazing example of Mannerist art, the halls of which are decorated with frescoes that are not devoid of subtle humor. Federico Gozaga could not resist his main passion - horse breeding and demanded to add images of his favorite horses. The grandiose rounded loggia completes the construction, allowing you to view the surrounding beauties. It was erected specifically for Emperor Charles V, a famous art lover, who in return for such a favor granted Federico the status of a duke.

Ferrara

South of Mantua, Mincio smoothly passes into Po. Starting from here, the landscape takes on a somewhat wild, somewhat more remote look, with infrequent villages, sprawling fields and rare roads. It is not surprising that Ferrara always evokes the feeling of some kind of frontier outpost, the last one along the river of the old ducal capital. Surrounded on all sides by the river, this is a strikingly calm city, with sprawling chestnut trees along the stone walls, hidden gardens and shady cobbled streets. This peace and serenity was appreciated by two of the best Italian writers: the poet and playwright of the Renaissance Ludovico Ariosto, and, who lived in the 20th century, the novelist and publisher Giorgio Bassani.

Bassani was Jewish and his most popular works, The Finzi Contini Garden and Gold-rimmed Spectacles, were written against a backdrop of anxiety about Mussolini's fascist regime, initially supported by many Italian Jews but turned against them. The Jewish communities lived quietly in the towns of the Po Valley and, until the Second World War, Ferrara was one of the most prosperous settlements. In the old district, south of the main cathedral, there are three excellent synagogues. Bassani rests in the Jewish cemetery near the northern bastion.

Palazzo Schifanoia

The Jews owed their safety in medieval Ferrara to the Esteni family, the ruling dynasty of the city. As shrewd as the Gonzagas in their patronage of the arts, the Estensii had a similar enthusiasm for building palaces. In the heart of the city is Palazzo Schifanoia, whose name comes from the desire of the Duke of Borso "toschivare la noia", that is, "to despise boredom." Obviously a noble merry fellow during his lifetime, he occupies a central place among the figures in a wonderful fresco that adorns the main hall, called the hall of the months. The Hall of the Months was painted in 1469-71. Ferrara craftsmen. Only two names are known - Francesco del Cossa and Baldassare d'Este, although, judging by the stylistic analysis, there were at least five of them. The impression produced by the painting is like watching a synchronized film, each row of paintings belongs to a grandiose allegory.

photo by Flickr, bautisterias

The frescoes encircle the walls of the hall in three rows, forming a decorative system of 12 main cycles. Each cycle, which vertically unites 3 frescoes, is dedicated to one of the months of the year, so the frescoes of the upper row depict the triumphs of the Olympian patron gods of the constellations. Allegorical scenes are depicted around the victors. In the middle row - the signs of the zodiac of a given month, accompanied by 3 figures that could be identified only at the beginning of the 20th century. According to researchers, they represent the deans, that is, the rulers of 36 parts of the zodiac circle, three in each sign. The frescoes of the lower row convey the course of earthly life, reflecting the cycle of heavenly bodies, they show various activities and entertainments corresponding to a certain season, and in the foreground scenes from the life of the Ferrara court and our old friend, the Duke of Borso d'Este.

Ferrara's slightly melancholy romantic atmosphere, with its subtle hue of the soft pink bricks most of the buildings are made of, and a sort of idle charm floating in the air, gives the city an undercurrent of irresistible appeal. However, the Po, without slowing down, carries its restless waters driven by the winds towards the muddy swamps of the Adriatic.

Where to stay

Hotels in Piacenza tend to be quite boring and banal. But a pleasant exception is a place located in the south-west of the city, in the Agazzono district, among the vineyards of Colli Piacentini. The pale pink private chapel and cool halls of the surprisingly serene Neoclassical Villa Tavernago are made for weddings. The nearby restaurant offers all the delights of local cuisine (from pisari to tagliatelle to game stew) and a decent list of strong wines.

One of the most luxurious private hotels in Italy - Armellino. The family estate occupies an old rococo mansion in the heart of Mantua, with exquisitely frescoed ceilings, gilded walls and parquet floors. Meticulous attention to detail, from bed linen and ending with flower vases, and a beautiful park that allows you to look at the church of Sant Andrea, is sure to produce an effect that contributes to a true uplifting of the spirit.

The former hunting reserve of Estense (“fasanara” translates as “pheasant nursery”) surrounds the Horti della Fasanara, a glorious rustic-looking 19th-century villa, although the whole ensemble harmonizes pleasantly with the adjacent city walls of Ferrara. The hotel is surprisingly compact - four multi-bed rooms and a couple of double rooms, named after the characters of the chivalric poem "Furious Roland", created by the Italian writer Ludovico Ariosto. The design is pleasing and reasonably modest, representing a game of renaissance with postmodernity, the predominance of calm typical of Ferrara.

Where to have dinner

Along the long rows of Piazza del Erbe, Mantua's medieval vegetable market, a line of restaurants crowds. Local nettle tagliatelle is both an aesthetic and gastronomic pleasure. Diners will not use to capture the bright green splendor before they start their meal. The menu includes Michio-caught pike served with a spicy salsa sauce, and sometimes not for the faint of heart - donkey stew.

Local restaurants cult the preservation of the true traditions of the city: whether it is cappellacio di zucca - a hybrid of tortelloni and ravioli stuffed with pumpkin, or tenerina cake, so beloved by the inhabitants of Ferrara - a variety chocolate biscuit.

The most demanding gourmets, in search of an unusual menu, find themselves in restaurants immediately after Verdi's evening in those located next to the opera house.

Here you can taste Mostard with a sauce of fruits marinated in mustard and syrup, served as a side dish to bollito misto - a stew of assorted meats and roast duck. And of course, the menu would not be complete without the charming pisan, which are prepared in clam broth by local chefs. Dinner will be complemented by a glass of strong local wine.

The internal hydraulic system of Italy is very saturated. And although there are no such long rivers as in neighboring countries, nevertheless, their network is quite full-flowing. The largest river in Italy is Po, and its numerous tributaries and channels form a river transport system. Lakes in their mass are recreational centers, where tourists and fans of healthy recreation in the bosom of the beautiful nature of Italy flock.

Major rivers in Italy

(Po River Delta)

There are many rivers in Italy, most of which are tributaries or branches of one - the largest, called Po. Many of them are connected by canals, which makes it possible to use even small bodies of water for navigation.

By

(Turin city on the river Po)

original title largest river Italy - By was Bodincus, which means "bottomless" in Celtic. Not surprising, because it is also the deepest river in these places. It is noteworthy that the Po floodplain is called Padania, and the ancient city of Padua, founded in the 10th century, is located on the banks. BC. The mouth of the Po is located in the Kotsky Alps, at an altitude of 2022 m above sea level. The mouth flows into the Adriatic Sea. With its tributaries, the Po is connected with the largest lakes in Italy - Como, Lago Maggiore, Garda. Most of drainage basin, numbering 70 thousand sq. km. located in Italy, and only a part belongs to neighboring Switzerland. The river is used not only as a navigable artery, but also for generating electricity, irrigating orchards and vineyards.

Adige

(Stone bridge of the Adige river in Verona)

The second longest river in Italy, the Adige, with a length of 410 km, originates in the Alps and has a common delta with the Po, flowing into the Adriatic Sea. It was on the banks of the Adige that the most significant events in the history of Italy, military battles, took place. In the lower reaches, the river is navigable, and a nuclear power plant has been built on the banks. Part of the channel is characterized by a rapid current and is popular with rafting fans. In the part that flows into Verona is the famous castle of Castelvecchio, where the largest Italian museum of painting and sculpture is located.

Tiber

(Tiber river in Rome)

The third largest river of the Apennine Peninsula. It originates on the southern slopes of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea. Major tributaries- Chiaggio, Topino, Clitunno. The lower course of the Tiber runs along the Maremma plain. The length of the river is about 405 km, and it is famous for the fact that it is on its banks that the capital of Italy, Rome, is located. There is a legend that the Tiber was renamed in honor of the once famous ruler Tiberinus Silvius, who drowned in its waters, and earlier the river was called Albula, under which it is mentioned in more ancient historical sources. In the tourist region of Umbria, there is a river park of the Tiber, 50 km long. Tourists and fans of archaeological excavations, which do not stop here to this day, make a pilgrimage here.

Adda

(Romanesque bridge over the river Adda)

The Po tributary in northern Italy, 313 km long, originates in the Valtellina valley in Lake Cancano in the Rhaetian Alps at an altitude of 2237 m above sea level. It flows into the Po near the town of Retino. In historical chronicles dating back to the times of the Roman Empire, the river is often mentioned as a natural frontier used by military leaders in various battles. Not far from the Tyrolean border, the river forms a picturesque waterfall 15 km long from a height of 754 m.

Ticino

(Ticino River in northern Italy)

The left full-flowing tributary of the largest river Po, flowing not only through Italy, but also through Switzerland. The length of the river is about 248 km, it originates in the Saint Gotthard mountain pass in the Swiss Alps. It flows into the Po near the town of Pavia. The Italian part of the river is predominantly used for irrigation. In addition to Pavia, near the coast of Ticino are the cities of Vigevano and Stresa.

Major lakes in Italy

When it comes to the most famous lakes in Italy, they mainly mean the top three - Garda, Lago Maggiore and Como. In addition to them, Varese, Lugano, Iseo, Trasimeno, Omodeo are of interest in size. In total, according to the latest data, there are about one and a half thousand freshwater lakes in Italy.

Lake Garda

(Lago di Garda)

Previously, the lake was called Benaki, but today the name Garda is used in literature and gazetteers. Located on the southern slopes of the Alps at an altitude of 65 m above sea level. From it flows the river Mincho, which is the left tributary of the Po. It feeds the Aril reservoir - the shortest river in Italy.

The unique location of the lake between Mlan and Venice quite predictably made it a kind of mecca of world fashion, because it is in the resort towns of Bardolino, Riva del Garda, Desenzano del Garda that the famous fashion shows and shows with the participation of world-famous couturiers are held. Gardaland, Italy's largest amusement park for children, is also located here.

Lake Maggiore

(Beautiful swan on a beautiful morning in the waters of Lago Maggiore)

In the Lombard Alps, there is the 2nd largest lake in Italy, with an area of ​​212 sq. km. Its shores belong not only to Italy, but also to neighboring Switzerland. In its deepest part, the bottom of the lake drops to 372 m. The left tributary of the Po-Ticino flows through Lago Maggiore. The Toche River provides a waterway between Lago Maggiore and the neighboring Orta reservoir. rugged coastline natural reservoir forms island archipelagos, unique in their beauty. In the Middle Ages, the lake was called differently - Verbano, because on its banks there were impressive thickets of vervain. With the improvement of the coast and the construction of villas of noble Italians, the simple name was gradually replaced by the more harmonious Lago Maggiore. Mountainous slopes, breathtaking villas, luxurious gardens and resort towns - all this is located on the coast of Lago Maggiore.

Lake Como

(Many houses of Lombardy between the hills near Lake Como)

The third place in the ranking is occupied by one of the deepest in Europe (about 410 m) Lake Como, located just north of Milan (40 km). The reservoir is fed by the Adda River, the left tributary of the Po. The reservoir got its name after the city of Como on its banks. The name of the lake is well known, but not everyone remembers why. In antiquity, the villa of the greatest ancient Roman poet Virgil was located here. Modern world fame Como received thanks to the cinema. At Villa Balbianello, which is located on its banks, such famous film masterpieces as Casino Royale, Ocean's Twelve and others were filmed.