From the Po river to the small Renaissance Capitals
The Lands of the Po river
The so-called "Bassa" (lowlands) as known by the citizen of Reggio Emilia, is a part of the territory of the Province of Reggio Emilia extended for about 10 kilometers, in a strip of land along the right bank of the Po river. The Municipalities are linked by the presence of the Big River that flows on these lands characterizing their culture, economy, history and traditions. The visit to this lands goes throguh the historical centers, where the signs of the Gonzaga, Bentivoglio and Este families still remain, the naturalistic environment of the floodplain, cheese factories, wine cellars, vinegar cellars and taverns characterized by the smells and the tastes of the local cusine made with care, patience and wisdom.
The Municipalities
◊ Brescello is known because it hosted the shooting of the saga "Peppopne and Don Camillo" by Giovannino Guareschi. Two museums in town are dedicated to the movie and its author.
◊ Boretto has one of the best equipped harbour on the Po river.
◊ Guastalla preserved memories of the powerful Gonzaga domination.
◊ Gualtieri with the majestic piazza Bentivoglio and the Museum dedicated to the famous painter Antonio Ligabue.
◊ Luzzara is well known for its Museum dedicated to the Naives Art
◊ Novellara houses the Gonzaga Fortress and the homonym Museum.
◊ Poviglio has the bigger Terramara ever excavated in Europe and the dedicated museum houses the main finds of the site.
◊ Reggiolo with its great Fortress of which the central main Tower is well preserved.
Itineraries
♦ Waterways
♦ Terre di Po e dei Gonzaga, cosa vedere (e cosa mangiare) nella Bassa Reggiana
♦ Brescello but not only
Deepening
The Small Renaissance Capitals
Many splendid signorie flourished in the plain between Reggio Emilia and Modena during the Renaissance, at a time when culture was synonymous with prestige and power; some were under the sphere of influence of the Gonzaga or the Este family, while others were proudly independent. Between the fiftheenth and seventeenth centuries, a wealth of small Capitals dotted the plain between the Po river and Crostolo and Secchia torrents, set in beautiful urban surroundings and with palaces and churches that visitors can still admire today as they travel along an itinerary that concentrates in few kilometers a heritage that is unique in Italy. While many great painters attended these courts, some were even born or lived here, such as Correggio and Lelio Orsi, alognside poets such as Boiardo and Ariosto. There were sculptors such as Leone Leoni that worked here and writers like Aretino, Tasso and Bembo were guests.
Sometimes the governors were also intellectuals, as in the case of Veronica Gambara, the ruler of Correggio who was also a talented poetess and patron of the arts. This fascinating slice of Italian history is little known but merits attention.
The Municipalities
◊ Scandiano with its magnificent Fortress and the house of the famous scientist Lazzaro Spallanzani
◊ Gualtieri with Piazza dell'Argenta, well preserved in its austere beauty with arcades on three sides and the beautiful Palazzo Bentivoglio on the fourth side.
◊ Guastalla, dominated by the statue of Ferrante Gonzaga, still has the discreet charm of an ancient Capital
◊ Correggio with the Museum dedicated to the homonym famous painter
◊ San Martino in Rio with its Fortress and the Museum of Agricolture and Rural world
◊ Novellara houses, inside its fortress, the municipal vinegar cellar, the Teatro della Rocca and the Gonzaga Museum
Itineraries
♦ Tours for turistic promotion - Scandiano
♦ Tourist itineraries - Guastalla
♦ Walking in town - Correggio
♦ Tourist itineraries - Gualtieri
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