Amazing Italy:
Walking
Around Polesella (Rovigo) with Maria Cristina Buoso
by Maria
Teresa De Donato
Villa Morosini, Mantovani (16th Century)
(Photo by Threecharlie (talk | contribs)
Today, we continue to travel in our Amazing Italy, precisely in the province of Rovigo,
with our dear friend Maria Cristina, Author and Blogger. Maria Cristina
continues to inspire us by sharing the naturalistic, historical, and artistic
beauties as well as the highly appreciated recipes of her territory.
Enjoy the reading!
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MTDD: Hi
Maria Cristina, and welcome back to us.
MCB:
Thank you for the invitation. It's a pleasure to be here with you again.
MTDD:
Maria Cristina, after having introduced us in detail to your city, Rovigo, in
the previous article, you began to introduce its province starting from Costa.
Shall we stay in the province today?
MCB:
Yes, indeed. After having talked to you about my city, Rovigo, whose territory
is entirely flat and located in the geographical area of present-day Polesine,
with its province currently having 50 municipalities, I want to talk to you
briefly about another municipality, Polesella (Polsèla in the local dialect),
which is located south of Rovigo near the Po and the province of Ferrara.
MTDD: Perfect. What can you tell us about this municipality and
any interest it may arouse in our readers?
MCB: It
is believed that a settlement existed in this area in Roman times, as
documented by the discovery of tomb tile remains.
The Etruscans and Romans tried to reclaim the Polesine, but the
Cucca Route of 589 thwarted their efforts, bringing the whole Polesine back to
a marshy state.
MTDD: If
I remember correctly, this area also had floods...
MCB: You
are right, indeed. The territory of the municipality of Polesella began to
re-emerge from the damage caused by the Adige flood around the 10th century
(Rovigo and its province are located between the Adige and Po rivers). Until
that moment, the territory had always been subject to the Polesine
phenomenon (a characteristic that gave the area the name Polesine). Some islets
of land could emerge among the marshes, and settlements were created here,
which, however, were temporary because the continuous floods of the Po, the Canal
Bianco, and the Adige submerged them. The subsequent floods of the 15th century
moved the main course of the Po further south, where it is still found today.
The center of the town was born and grew right on the banks, which at the time
had much more modest dimensions than today.
MTDD: In
short, a land severely tested by natural phenomena... as well as by historical
events...
MCB:
Exactly. In fact, during the 15th century, the Polesine was a land dispute
between the Republic of Venice and the Estense Duchy, which
alternated several times in the territory's government.
Several battles took place in Polesella, including the Salt
War of 1482. The Venetian victory was decisive for the war, and so
Polesella, together with the entire territory of Rovigo, definitively passed
under the dominion of the Serenissima in 1484. Polesella became an
important strategic center, as the Po marked the border with the Este family
only in the stretch between the village and Guarda Veneta and was, therefore,
the Serenissima's only outlet on the great river.
Another historical battle was the one between the Republic of
Venice and the Duchy of Ferrara, which took place on 22 December 1509. Ludovico
Ariosto also sang it in his Orlando Furioso (canto 40, 2, vv. 1-4).
In 1899, a floating bridge financed by the municipality of
Canaro was built. The bridge was made up of a series of barges tied to each
other (about 400 meters) and connected Polesella with Ro Ferrarese.
Furthermore, the central part of the bridge could be untied to allow the
passage of boats, and an ingenious system of ramps at different heights allowed
access to the bridge regardless of the river level.
MTDD: Very interesting. What artistic and monumental attractions
deserve to be seen in Polesella?
MCB: In
this municipality, you can find churches, villas, and palaces of various eras
and importance, such as Villa Armellini, also known as "of the
seven heads" (16th century). Located in what is now Via De Paoli, it was
commissioned by the Armellinis, a family of Cypriot origins who moved to Venice
and were active in the spice and armor trade sectors in the sixteenth century.
Villa (Ca') Morosini (16th - 17th century), located about half a km east of the
center on the north bank of the river, is attributed, like Palazzo Grimani,
to Vincenzo Scamozzi.
(Webfoto von Threecharlie -
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0)
I leave some links below to help you get to know Polesella
better.
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincia_di_Rovigo
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polesella
https://crespino.italiani.it/polesella-una-lunga-storia-dagli-etruschi-a-oggi/
https://www.gemmaedizioni.it/polesella-una-citta-da-favola/
MTDD: Which
recipe are you enticing our palate with today?
MCB:
Today, I present to you a mixed recipe, namely Polenta, Sopressa, and
mushrooms.
Recipe
Polenta, Sopressa, and mushrooms
You can make this recipe however you prefer, with all three
ingredients or just polenta and mushrooms.
As for the polenta, you can choose the instant one if you wish.
To make non-instant polenta:
Bring 1.2 liters of salted water to a boil in a tall pan. Pour
in the corn flour (choose white or yellow to taste) and cook, stirring
constantly with a large wooden spoon, for about 1 hour. When the polenta is
ready, pour it onto a cutting board.
While you prepare the polenta, put a pan for the mushrooms on
the heat (which you will have cleaned and washed before; if you use dried ones,
rinse them with hot water); heat olive oil and then add one or more cloves of
garlic (to your taste) and, if you wish, also add chopped rosemary. Brown
slightly and then add the mushrooms for cooking over high heat for a few
minutes and then for about 15 minutes over low heat. Add a little white wine
for cooking or a little water, salt, and pepper to your taste. If you want to
cook the sautéed mushrooms, replace the rosemary with chopped parsley to add
towards the end of cooking (some people prefer one version and some another)
and no wine. Add a little water only if necessary.
When everything is ready, place the hot polenta on a plate and
top with the mushrooms, their sauce, and the additional sopressa, or just the
mushrooms.
Bon Appétit!
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