Polesella: Churches, Villas and River Landscapes

Polesella brings together sacred architectural history, a villa with an art collection and evidence of water engineering, set within a landscape shaped by the Po and the Fossa. This gives you a range of options when planning your trip: historic buildings, art and nature by the water. The following highlights offer a clear picture of the destination before you choose a hotel in Polesella.

Churches and layers of history

Experts date the earliest structure and bell tower of the Chiesa Romanica di Raccano broadly to the 13th or 14th century. During extensive restoration work in 1940, a fresco believed to date from the 15th century was discovered. It depicts the Madonna and Child with two angels. Damp had damaged the painting, and the Soprintendenza ai Beni Artistici e Ambientali transferred it to a panel. The two dates refer to different things: 1940 is the year it was discovered, while the 15th century is the painting’s presumed date of creation.

Another point of reference in time is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Rosario. Construction began on 28 November 1734, when Archpriest don Domenico Cullatti blessed the foundation stone. The historical timeline therefore ranges from a broadly dated building phase to a construction start dated to a specific day.

Villa Morosini and Venetian art

Villa Morosini brings together an architectural landmark and a collection of Venetian art. It stands below the left bank of the Po, about a kilometre from Polesella, and its construction was attributed to Vincenzo Scamozzi. The villa houses the Carrain collection, with works by the renowned Venetian artists Vedova, Santomaso, Pizzinato and Birolli.

Fossa di Polesella: water engineering and landscape

The Fossa di Polesella tourist route is characterised by embankments, floodplains, river groynes and small harbours. It also includes Venetian villas, traces of industrial and hydraulic archaeology, rural farmsteads and sacred architecture. Alongside the river landscape, the route therefore highlights engineering, agricultural and religious structures.

Today, La Fossa is a small canal rich in fish, with banks thickly overgrown with reeds. Finches, river nightingales, wrens, reed warblers and great reed warblers can be seen there. Unlike the built features along the route, the focus here is on the banks and birdlife.

The Botte Paleocapa is a striking example of water engineering: a three-barrel hydraulic siphon. It runs beneath the Fossa Polesella and its embankments and was built in 1566. A siphon carries water beneath an obstacle; the three barrels are a defining feature of the Botte Paleocapa’s design.

Riverside spots with different things to offer

On the Po, Il Porticciolo is an equipped rest stop for river tourism, with moorings for canoes and boats. Arenile Canon is a sandy beach near Molo Micheli. In hot summers, it serves as a meeting place and a spot for swimming in the river. Their uses are clearly distinct: Il Porticciolo offers a place to rest and moor, while Arenile Canon is a summer gathering spot for swimming.

Discover more destinations: Badia Polesine, Castelnovo Bariano, Rosapineta, Rovigo, Albarella Isola, Arquà Polesine, Costa di Rovigo, Crespino

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