The Mezzano

The Ferrara territory is roughly a triangle-shaped area within the Po Valley, with its longer sides formed by the Po and Reno Rivers, and its shorter side by the coastline between their river mouths. In the southeastern part, among the towns of Comacchio, Ostellato, Portomaggiore, and Argenta, lies the Mezzano area—a fascinating landscape shaped by water, land, and history.

The Mezzano Valley was reclaimed starting in 1957 by the Ente Delta Padano, with the aim of providing arable land, boosting employment, and improving living conditions for local communities. The area was divided into two sub-basins—Mezzano North-West and Mezzano South-East—each cut through by a main drainage collector, into which numerous secondary collectors were directed in a fishbone pattern. Additionally, two perimeter canals were built to channel water toward the two pumping stations of Lepri Valley and Fosse Valley, responsible for lifting and discharging the water to the sea.

By the late 1970s, this area began to show signs of soil salinity and acidity, which negatively impacted agriculture. The cultivation of sugar beets, which had been the most widespread and profitable crop for years, had to be abandoned in favor of less demanding crops better suited to the conditions. Recently, alternative management projects have begun, including re-flooding initiatives, forestation efforts, and the development of agritourism and nature tourism