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River village of Porto Levante

A typical river village of fishermen is the gateway to the Po Delta’s history of navigation

At the mouth of the Po di Levante stands the village of Porto Levante, a jewel of the maritime villages immortalized in literary works of Gianni Celati. On the northernmost branch of the Po Delta and outfitted with marina facilities, Porto Levante represents an excellent starting point for excursions on the river, into the large surrounding lagoons, or to the Adriatic Sea.

Porto Levante is one of the best ways to access the area of the Po Delta Park, since it is located at the mouth of the waterway that connects the Polesine to the Po hinterland: through this navigable canal it is possible to reach the cities of Rovigo, Mantova , Ferrara, Cremona and Piacenza. Starting from the mouth of the Po di Levante, it is possible to experience a fascinating and exhaustive navigation route, entering the numerous canals that allow you to reach other inland river ports.
The village of Porto Levante, overlooking the lagoon area of Sacca Cavallari, separated from the sea by the homonymous sandbar (or "scanno"), looks like a typical fishing village, with low and colourful houses, a characteristic 18th century church and a rich wooded area, which preserves an old ice house and is a great place for locals to come for pleasant walks.
Porto Levante is associated with well-established river imagery that reminds us of interesting literary references, such as those of the writer and director Gianni Celati. In his book Verso la Foce (Towards the river mouth), he describes the village lying on the river through the sounds and voices that characterize it: "This place is a small cluster of houses in a row, at the end of a long inlet that resembles a canal. [...] Most of the houses are located along the harbour crowded with fishing boats, houses with the light plaster of seaside towns. Two girls call each other from one house to the other, making prolonged cries like birds [...] I hear screams from boats as well, but these are spoken in recognizable words. Meanwhile swifts fly low above boats, nosediving and then climbing again only at the last moment".
Overlooking the Sacca Cavallari lagoon is the Marina di Porto Levante port, a tourist dock with numerous berths and a convenient landing place for sailing to the Adriatic, as well as along the waterways that head inland. The lagoon that stretches in front of the port is bounded by Scanno Cavallari, a strip of land of significant naturalistic interest, with a freely accessible beach (untouched by human intervention) and equipped with a dock. The beach is characterized by the typical vegetation of the environments between the sea and the lagoon and is frequented by numerous species of birds that find an ideal habitat here: black-winged stilt, grey and purple herons, ducks, mallards that nestle among the reeds and tamarisks, but also buzzards and western marsh harriers. In the summer season there is a ferry from Porto Levante to the beach of the barrier island.

1h 30m

How to Get There

By train: the village is situated about 17 km from Loreo station and about 13 km from Rosolina station (railway line Adria-Chioggia), with good cycle-rail interchange facilities.
By car: from SS309 Romea, coming from Venezia or Ravenna, follow the signs to Porto Levante and go on along SP64.

information

Where to eat:
we suggest Ristorante Baraonda (Via C. Colombo 31, Porto Viro; tel. 0426 666021), Ristorante La Bitta (Strada Provinciale 64, Porto Levante; tel. 0426 666031 - 335 1621103) and Ristorante Il Ghebo (Scanno Cavallari, Porto Viro; tel. 320 094 0350).
Where to stay:
we recommend Albergo Ristorante e Pizzeria Il Paradello (Via C. Colombo 58, Porto Levante; tel. 0426 666063) and Locanda del Nibbio.
Tours and bike & boat rental:
for bike and horse trips and boat tours please refer to the website of Parco Delta del Po.

In the environs

The river village of Loreo and Antiquarium

The river village of Loreo and Antiquarium

Once an ancient Roman river port and a crossroads of Venetian trade

The Panarella floodplain

The Panarella floodplain

Immersed among liquid memories and legends: the oasis that evokes Greek mythology

Sacca degli Scardovari

Sacca degli Scardovari

The lagoon landscape of the Delta with its millenia-old tradition of aquaculture

Ancient river village of Badia Polesine

Ancient river village of Badia Polesine

An ancient fortified settlement on the Adige river that controlled trade and river traffic