Rovigo (Rovigo in Veneto), is an Italian town of 49 829
inhabitants, capital of the province of the same name in Veneto. The
municipality of Rovigo extends between the Adige to the north and
the Canalbianco to the south, with the exception of the hamlet of
Fenil del Turco, which is located between the Canalbianco and the
Zucca drainage; it is located about 41 km from the coast of the
Adriatic Sea.
The territory is extremely flat and the
altitude varies between 5 and 8 meters above sea level. It is
crossed by the Adigetto and numerous artificial canals which are
used both for hydraulic reclamation and for irrigation. Among these
the Ceresolo, the Rezzinella, the Valdentro, the Adigetto, the
Canalbianco, the Pontecchio, the Zucca mark, in some places, the
boundaries of the municipality; the Collettore Padano Polesano
crosses the hamlet of Fenil del Turco.
The soil is very
fertile and particularly suitable for the cultivation of corn and
quality horticultural products. The Rovigo interport opens on the
Canalbianco, which became operational in 1998.
The
municipality of Rovigo borders (clockwise): to the north with the
municipalities of Barbona, Vescovana, Boara Pisani and Anguillara
Veneta; to the east with the municipalities of San Martino di
Venezze, Villadose and Ceregnano; to the south with the
municipalities of Crespino, Pontecchio Polesine and Bosaro; to the
west with the municipalities of Arquà Polesine, Costa di Rovigo,
Villanova del Ghebbo and Lusia.
Some archaeological finds document the presence of a
Roman settlement within the area occupied by the current city
center. However, in the municipal territory or in the immediate
vicinity, the first permanent settlements date back to the second
millennium BC. An important village of the late Bronze Age (XII
century BC), connected to the so-called "via dell'ambra", is that of
Campestrin di Grignano Polesine. In the Iron Age (VI and V BC), a
settlement connected to the Etruscan Adria was active in the Rovigo
area, as documented by the necropolis of loc. Balone. The
aforementioned archaeological materials are kept at the Museum of
the Great Rivers of Rovigo.
The first certainly reliable
historical document on the city is therefore that of April 24, 838,
where Rovigo is defined in Latin as villa que nuncupatur Rodigo, or
"[rural] village called Rodigo". In 920 the bishop of Adria Paolo
Cattaneo had a fortification built in this village to temporarily
transfer the bishopric to it, sheltered from the Hungarian raids.
This first fortification was completed in 954.
The Este
family were present in Rovigo as early as 1117 and presumably it was
they who promoted the expansion of the fortification in the 12th
century, when the town of Rovigo already extended on both sides of
the Adigetto, buried in 1937, a real river. The keep of the castle,
known as the Donà tower, 66 meters high is one of the highest
medieval towers in Italy. The Este dominion over Rovigo was made
official by the Emperor Henry VI in 1194, who appointed it count
Azzo VI; apart from brief parentheses, Rovigo remained Este for
almost three centuries.
The fifteenth century was tormented
for Rovigo and all of the Polesine, disputed by the Republic of
Venice which was beginning to expand towards the mainland at that
time. During the events of the Salt War, the Venetians definitively
entered Rovigo in 1482, and apart from the parenthesis of the League
of Cambrai (1508 - 1511) they maintained its dominion for about
three centuries. To give the imprint of the republic, the civic
tower was built in Piazza Maggiore (the current Piazza Vittorio
Emanuele II) where the bell that had rung in the keep of the castle
was transferred; in 1519 the column with the Lion of San Marco was
also built.
At the end of the 16th century, the Serenissima
celebrated its dominion by building the temple of the Beata Vergine
del Soccorso, known as Rotonda, based on a project by Francesco
Zamberlan, whose interior is decorated with paintings of high
artistic and allegorical value, depicting the Venetian podestà who
ruled over Rovigo until the 1660s.
During the eighteenth
century the cathedral was enlarged whose facade remained unfinished;
private construction produced small masterpieces such as the Roncale
palace and the Angeli palace. In this period the village of S.
Bortolo began to take on its own identity as an out-of-town
neighborhood. Rovigo kept its pentagonal plan surrounded by walls
and crossed by the Adigetto (which gradually lost its importance
over the centuries).
At the beginning of the 19th century,
following the fall of the Republic of Venice and the establishment
of French domination, Rovigo experienced a renewed social and
cultural impulse towards growth and development. In Piazza Maggiore
the place was finally found for a prestigious seat at the Accademia
dei Concordi. The historic church of Santa Giustina was demolished
and the minor square now dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi was born in
its place; overlooking this new public space, the Teatro Sociale and
the building of the commercial exchange were born later, during the
Austrian domination. Four of the six access gates to the city were
demolished and the pits were transformed into public walkways to
promote the development of the city outside the Este walls.
The economy was still mainly based on agriculture and livestock; the
Polesano horse became famous throughout Europe as the best breed of
horses for pulling carriages. The annexation to the Kingdom of Italy
gave the definitive boost to development; in 1866 the city was
favorably affected by the construction of the Padua-Rovigo railway
line, which was immediately extended towards Ferrara.
In 1927
the territory of the municipality was enlarged, incorporating the
previously autonomous territories of Boara Polesine, Buso Sarzano,
Sant'Apollinare con Selva, Borsea, Grignano di Polesine and
Concadirame. Furthermore, the constitution of the Commenda district
and the new sanatorium center favored the development of the city in
the north, while in the south-west the locality Tassina became a
suburb of the city.
In 1938 the course of the Adigetto, now reduced to a stream of
little importance, was diverted to the west; the project was to
create a grandiose Fascist-style street of celebration in its place.
The project was only partially realized, interrupted by the Second
World War; among the buildings built, the post office building and
the INA building stand out for their grandeur and style of
construction. The castle was transformed into a public garden after
the war; the group of "two towers" that survived in the citadel thus
became one of the symbols of the city.
Starting from the
1950s and 1960s, Rovigo had a notable development, both as a
traditional agricultural market and as an industrial center, favored
by the inclusion of Polesine in areas with a depressed economy; the
new parish and district of San Pio X were established for the
expansion of the city to the west, the church of the Commenda was
built and the district was further expanded to the east; an organic
industrial area has developed in the south-east area between the
town and the hamlet of Borsea, which now has a natural outlet on the
newly built port on the Canalbianco.
The recovery of the
urban and architectural heritage of the city center began in the
1980s.
Very recently, the new hospital complex to the east
and the commercial area to the north of the city have been
developed, where the offices of the Fair and the University have
also been established.
Finally, the urban recovery of the
former Jewish ghetto, which began in the 1930s, is being completed
in recent years.
Thanks to the benefits of categorization in
a depressed area during the last two decades of the twentieth
century, it benefited from a positive economic boost that uprooted
the capital and part of the province from dependence on the
agricultural economy. A good number of manufacturing industries have
developed in the industrial area of the city.
Cited for the first time in 838 as Rodigo and then as
Rudi and Ruuigo, the toponym seems to be related to the Germanic
personal name Hrodico.
According to the scholars of the past,
it derives instead from the Greek rhodon "rose" (in the Orlando
furioso Ludovico Ariosto describes the city as "the land whose
production of roses / gave them a pleasant name in Greek voices"),
which reconnects it to legend that would have the Polesine colonized
by a group of Achaeans led by Diomede. Tradition has earned Rovigo
the title of "City of Roses".
The center of Rovigo can be identified with Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, formerly Piazza Maggiore, established as a limited traffic area.
The religious buildings
located in the municipal territory are purely places of worship of
the Catholic Christian religion with some exceptions, however those
built for this purpose and existing date back, in the oldest
buildings, to the twelfth century even if extensively remodeled and
enlarged. For the religious administration Rovigo is divided into
two vicariates, called urban area and suburban area: the first
incorporates the parishes of Santo Stefano, Immaculate Heart of
Mary, Santa Maria Madre di Dio, San Bartolomeo, San Pio X,
Sant'Antonio, San Francesco and Santa Rita, the second brings
together the parishes of Boara, Borsea, Buso, Concadirame, Fenil del
Turco, Granzette, Grignano, Mardimago, Roverdicrè, Sarzano,
Sant'Apollinare. All these are made up of churches, oratories and
chapels, the latter both open to public worship and private. Some of
these, born as parish churches, were downgraded to oratories when
their function was replaced by more capacious structures, some were
closed and are in ruins, others closed and deconsecrated, however
recovered to preserve their historical-cultural importance. Others
have disappeared, destroyed by events or dismantled to make way for
other buildings. The religious buildings located in the urban fabric
and in the hamlets of the municipal area are listed below.
Cathedral of Santo Stefano, co-cathedral of the Diocese of
Adria-Rovigo;
Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova (20th century).
Built in the late twentieth century to replace the previous building
of the fifties, it is one of the most recent religious buildings.
Church of Sant'Antonio Abate known as San Domenico. Consecrated in
1543 and restored several times over the centuries. Some
seventeenth-eighteenth century sculptures such as the bust of
Sant'Antonio Abate and the statuettes of San Paolo and San
Sebastiano deserve attention. Work of Eucharistic Adoration. Via X
July.
Church of Santa Maria delle Rose (20th century). Built in
the late twentieth century, it is one of the most recent religious
buildings, a parish church created to meet the needs of believers in
the Commenda Est district built in the period.
Church of
Santi Francesco e Giustina
Church of San Bartolomeo, commonly
known as San Bortolo.
Monastery of the Olivetans
Church of the Beata Vergine Addolorata delle Servite (20th
century), part of the "Beata Vergine Addolorata" Marian center run
by the Servant Sisters of Mary repairers.
Temple of the Beata
Vergine del Soccorso called "la Rotonda"
Church of Santa Maria
dei Sabbioni
Church of San Pio X (20th century). The modern-style
building, designed by the architect Antonio Canato, was built in the
sixties and consecrated during a solemn function on November 16,
1968 by the auxiliary bishop Msgr. Rosina.
Oratory of the Beata
Vergine di Pompei, known as the "Chiesetta delle Fosse" (19th
century), designed by Eugenio Piva: it is a small sacred building
located on the crossroads that connects Via Nazario Sauro and Via
Gorizia (previously called Strada delle Fosse), Via Piave , Via
Fiume and Via Domenico Piva, built at the beginning of the twentieth
century and at the beginning of the 2000s, subject to a conservative
restoration. Although it does not possess valuable artistic works,
its location and its simple architecture make it one of the
destinations not only for devotees, but also for the curiosity of
tourists.
Oratory of the Most Holy Conception called "Church of
Christ"
Sanctuary of Madonna Pellegrina known as "Church of the
Commenda", inaugurated by Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli on 1
December 1957
Casa Rosetta Ferrari
Palazzina Minelli (also known as the Gothic building). Built by the
typographer Antonio Minelli, it is characterized by a neo-Gothic
style facade embellished with circular terracotta elements depicting
some of the members of the Minelli family.
Veronese Palace
Palazzo Angeli
Camerini Palace
Campanari Palace
Casalini
Palace in Porta Sant'Agostino
Casalini Palace at the Duomo
Former Episcopal Palace
Gobbati Palace
INA Palace (20th
century)
Palazzo Manfredini at the Duomo
Oliva Palace
Paoli
Palace
Patella-Montalti Palace (18th century). Located in Corso
del Popolo but originally overlooking the Adigetto, it was over time
the barracks of the Imperial Regia Gendarmeria of the Austrian
Empire, then a seminary, seat of public bodies and high schools
including the Technical Institute for Surveyors and which is
headquarters.
Ravenna Palace
Roncale Palace
Roverella
Palace (15th century). Commissioned by Cardinal Bartolomeo
Roverella, it remained partially unfinished due to the death of the
client. It overlooks Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, formerly Piazza
Maggiore.
Salvadego-Sgarzi Palace
Silvestri Palace
Venezze
Palace
Villa Tracanella
Palazzo delle Poste e Telegrafi (20th
century), designed by Roberto Narducci
Justice palace
Former
civic hospital of Rovigo
Re Vittorio Emanuele III psychiatric
hospital
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, the city urban center, of
interest for the numerous buildings that overlook it.
Castle, the original nucleus of the
medieval city. Located on the current Corso del Popolo, originally
on the Adigetto, it retains part of the original structure including
most of the perimeter walls and the two towers, symbol of the city:
Torre Mozza or Torre Grimani
Torre Donà, built later.
City
walls. Although the walls have almost completely disappeared from
view, due to the deterioration of time and to have been reused as
building material, traces of them can be found in the city fabric as
an element of numerous houses that incorporated them over the
centuries and in the still visible conformation of the historic
center. Of the original access doors and defensive elements only
remain:
Porta San Bortolo, one of the two remaining gates of the
city.
Porta di Sant'Agostino, the second of the remaining city
gates, extensively renovated.
Pighin Tower
Building of the
Guard Corps, overlooking the main square also known as Piazza
Vittorio Emanuele II, and seat of the city detachment of the
Austrian army.
Column of San Marco (1519) Raised in
honor of the Venetian Republic after the League of Cambrai, on the
top a lion of San Marco (1881) by Augusto Sanavio. The original was
shot down by the French in 1797.
Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II
(1881) by Giulio Monteverde
Monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi by
Ettore Ferrari
Monument to the Garibaldian Domenico Piva by
Augusto Sanavio
Monument to Giuseppe Mazzini by Antonio Carlini
Monument to Amos Bernini by Armando Zago
Monument to Cesare
Battisti (1917) by Virgilio Milani
Fountain of Recognition by
Virgilio Milani
Monument to the explorer Giovanni Miani (1917) by
Virgilio Milani
Monument to Giacomo Matteotti (1978) by Augusto
Murer
October Fair. In the second half of October. The most important event in the city. The 2014 edition was number 531.
By plane
Rovigo is located approximately halfway between Venice
and Bologna and their respective Marco Polo and Marconi airports.
By car
A13 Padua - Bologna motorway. At the Boara exit, outside
the toll booth, turn right and continue. Then there are the Rovigo and
Villamarzana - Rovigo sud exits, more convenient for those arriving from
Bologna or Ferrara.
On the train
All trains connecting Venice
to Emilia-Romagna and central-southern Italy pass through Rovigo. The
city's small train station is a short walk from the centre.
By
bus
Connections with Padua and other cities.
The center is not very large and can be explored on foot. Most of the
things to see are close by, so there is no need to take public transport
or a car.
By bike
The Municipality of Rovigo joins the C'entro
in Bici program already active in many Italian cities. Some bicycles are
made available to citizens, workers and visitors and can be found at the
train station, in Via Laurenti (near Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II), near
the multi-storey car park in Piazzale Di Vittorio and at the car park in
Piazza D' Weapons at Viale XIII Martiri. To use the bicycles you need a
personalized key which can be requested in one of the following offices:
Bicycle Office, via Badaloni 31 (Mobility Sector of the Municipality
of Rovigo), ☎ +39 0425 206449, transport@comune.rovigo.it. Mon-Fri
9.30am-12.30pm; Tue, Thu also 3.30pm-5.30pm.
URP – Public Relations
Office (Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II), ☎ +39 0425 206202, +39 0425
206222, +39 0425 206232, urp@comune.rovigo.it. Mon-Fri 8.30am-12.30pm;
Tue, Thu also 3.30pm-5.30pm.
You must submit a completed form. The
service is active every day from 7.30am to 8pm and upon delivery of the
key €10 is paid as a deposit (it will then be refunded when the key is
returned).
Most of the commercial activities are located in the centre, in
particular along Via Angeli and Via Umberto I, which are the extension
of Viale Porta Adige and arrive at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, the
heart and "living room" of the city. The main shopping street, however,
is Corso del Popolo, created in the mid-twentieth century by burying the
old Adigetto course that crossed the city. Part of the Corso was
recently closed to traffic and became pedestrian like other areas of the
historic center.
Markets
The market days are very important,
the most important ones are listed below.
, Piazza Matteotti.
Tuesday.
, Merlin Square. Thursday.
Theatres
Rovigo boasts a very important theatrical tradition.
Teatro Sociale, Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, 14, ☎ +39 0425 25614,
fax: +39 0425 423164, teatrosociale.botteghino@comune.rovigo.it. Box
office Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00-12:30–16:00-19:30; Wed, Fri 4pm-7.30pm;
show days 10:00-12:30–16:00-22:00; Monday closed. Designed by the Rovigo
architect Sante Baseggio in neoclassical style, it was completed in 1819
and rebuilt on the original model in 1902 due to a serious fire. For
many years, the Rovigo theater season has hosted the most important
Italian theater companies who very often choose Rovigo as the starting
point of their tours. Beniamino Gigli, Renata Tebaldi, Maria Callas and
Luciano Pavarotti performed here, among others.
Don Bosco Theatre.
Cathedral Theatre.
San Bortolo Theatre.
Studio Theatre.
Rovigo is one of the cities where the Italian rugby movement was born and developed. Rugby Rovigo is one of the richest in history and most glorious clubs in the country and the city has always followed the fortunes of the rossoblu with passion. The company was founded in 1935 by Davide Lanzoni, a medical student in Padua at the time, who brought an oval ball to Rovigo. In the 1950s it was thanks to the figure of Mario "Maci" Battaglini that the first victories in the Italian championship came. The team's history continued with mixed success and today it is among the top teams in the Italian championship. The matches take place at the Stadio Comunale Mario Battaglini in viale Alfieri, a few minutes walk from the centre. Over the course of its long history, Rugby Rovigo has had among its players some of the greatest interpreters of Italian and international rugby including Mario Battaglini, Naas Botha, Stefano Bettarello, Elio De Anna, Carlo Checchinato, Dirk Naudè and many others.
Moby Dick Pub, Via Badaloni 82. Pub.
Badabeer, Via Badaloni 66.
Pub.
Average prices
Osteria Ai Trani restaurant, Via Cavour, 30, ☎ +39
0425 25109, info@osteriaitrani.it. Restaurant and tavern in the center,
ideal for aperitifs and/or dinners.
Taverna del Pittore, via Nicolò
Badaloni 25, ☎ +39 0425 423549. Pizzeria, ham shop and wine shop.
Al
Postiglione Restaurant, Via E. Marchioni, 34, ☎ +39 0425 21777. Closed
on Tuesday and Saturday for lunch. Excellent and plentiful cuisine.
Bice Osteria Trattoria, piazza Merlin 35, ☎ +39 0425 21620,
info@trattoriabice.it. Tue-Sun 11am-3pm and 7pm-midnight; Monday closed.
Historic place. Traditional cuisine from Polesine.
The restaurant,
Via Giovanni Miani, 38 (from piazza Umberto Merlin (formerly piazza
Roma) you pass under the Porta San Bortolo (il Volto) continuing for
about 100 metres), ☎ +39 346 581 7358. Mon-Sun 07:00- 01:30. Restaurant,
café, wine bar, venue that promotes numerous cultural initiatives.
Average prices
Hotel Cristallo, Viale Porta Adige 1, ☎ +39 0425
30701, fax: +39 0425 31083, calcio.ro@bestwestern.it. doubles from €60.
3 star Best Western hotel with conference room. The restaurant is very
well known in the city.
Hotel Capital, Viale Porta Adige 45
(Fair/University Area), ☎ +39 0425-411583, fax: +39 0425-412748,
info@hotelcapitalrovigo.it. Single: €69 (€74 on weekends); double/twin
room: €74 (€89 on weekends); double room for single use: €69 (€79 on
weekends). A few minutes from the center. Conference room and
restaurant.
Hotel Villa Regina Margherita, Viale Regina Margherita 6,
☎ +39 0425 361540, fax: +39 0425 31301,
info@hotelvillareginamargherita.it. Elegant 4-star hotel in an Art
Nouveau villa from the early twentieth century. Inside there is the
renowned Le Betulle restaurant.
The municipality of Rovigo is located in the climatic zone "E" (between 2101 and 3000 GG) and in the seismic zone "4" (very low seismicity).