Municipality of Ostellato

THE TERRITORY

The municipality of Ostellato, located in the central part of the province of Ferrara, belongs to the historic Po Delta area. Today, the landscape is dominated by agricultural fields, but before land reclamation, it was characterised by marshes and woods. Human activities were concentrated on the few river banks that emerged, which allowed the colonisation of an area rich in resources but subject to frequent flooding. Human presence dates back to ancient times, favoured by a long river mound that has now disappeared, corresponding to the current Ferrara-Comacchio provincial road. The area preserves important natural environments: the Valli, rich in flora and fauna typical of freshwater wetlands, and the Mezzano, a vast reclaimed agricultural area with permanent wildlife populations. Until the 1960s, these areas formed a single large brackish marsh, radically transformed by reclamation works and hydraulic management, which replaced reeds and brackish waters with cultivated fields.

HISTORICAL NOTES

The history of Ostellato is documented by numerous archaeological finds. The first written record dates back to 997 AD, with the name ‘Ustullatum’ appearing in a bull issued by Gregory V. The territory belonged to Comacchio, then to the Abbey of Pomposa under Guido Monaco, and later to the Este family. During the Este dynasty's rule, it became a place for hunting and leisure, with residences such as Palazzo Strozzi (later destroyed), Villa Tassoni and Villa Marfisa (now Villa Dalbuono). Also noteworthy are the Ca' Matte farm, built in 1450 as a hunting lodge and once flanked by two towers, and the Dianti building, which belonged to Laura Dianti, favourite of Alfonso I. After the devolution of 1598, Ostellato passed to the Papal States, suffering the progressive loss of the valleys to Comacchio and ineffective water management, which caused flooding and epidemics. It was only in the mid-19th century that the situation improved thanks to major land reclamation works, which were finally completed in the 1960s. Among the last remaining evidence of the ancient wetlands are the valley bends of Ostellato. The area is also home to the Po Delta Natural History Museum. Of particular artistic value is the 11th-century Romanesque parish church of San Vito. The parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, an ancient Ravenna parish church, was rebuilt in 1638 in a different location; the original bell tower from 1588 still stands, located about 200 metres from the current church.