Rovigo lies in the Polesine, between the Po and Adige, along the banks of the Adigetto canal, enveloped in the mysterious fascination of an ‘amphibious’ nature in which man has for centuries tried to dominate, finally learning to live with it, respecting its power and unpredictability.
Rovigo is a town and comune in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy, the capital of the eponymous province.
Among the oldest monuments are the castle with its two towers Donà and Mozza (one of the city’s symbols), dating back to the 10th century. The architecture from the Venetian period includes the celebrated works of Biagio Rossetti – Palazzo Roverella and the cloister of San Barto
Geography
Rovigo stands on the low ground known as Polesine, 80 kilometres (50 mi) by rail southwest of Venice and 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-southwest of Padua, and on the Adigetto Canal. The comune of Rovigo extends between the rivers Adige and Canal Bianco, 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of the Adriatic Sea, except the frazione of Fenil del Turco that extends south of the Canal Bianco.
Polesine is the name of the low ground between the lower courses of the rivers Adige and Po and the sea; the derivation of the name is much discussed, generally applied only to the province of Rovigo, but is sometimes extended to the near towns of Adria and Ferrara.
Main sights
The architecture of the town bears the stamp both of Venetian and of Ferrarese influence. Main sights include :
- Rovigo Cathedral (Duomo, dedicated to Martyr Pope Steven I), the Co-Cathedral in the bishopric of Adria–Rovigo; it was originally built before the 11th century, but rebuilt in 1461 and again in 1696. The art works of the interior includes a Resurrection of Christ by Palma the Younger.
- Ruins of the Castle (10th century), of which two towers remain
- Madonna del Soccorso: church best known as La Rotonda. If was built between 1594 and 1606 by Francesco Zamberlan of Bassano, a pupil of Palladio, to house a miraculous image of a sitting Madonna with Child carrying a rose. The edifice has octagonal plan, surrounded by a portico, begun in 1594. The original construction had a cupola, which was later substituted by a simple ceiling for static reasons. The fine campanile, standing at 57 m, was built according to plans by Baldassarre Longhena (1655–1673). The walls of the interior of the church are wholly covered by 17th centuries paintings by prominent provincial and Venetian artists, including Francesco Maffei, Domenico Stella, Giovanni Abriani, Alessandro Varotari (il Padovanino), Pietro Vecchia, Pietro Liberi, Antonio Zanchi and Andrea Celesti.
- Immacolata Concezione : Church dating to 1213.
- San Francesco: church in Gothic-Romanesque style but with extensive intervention from the 19th century. The belfry is from 1520. In the interior are several Saints sculptures by Tullio Lombardo (1526).
- The Town hall, which contains a library including some rare early editions, belonging to the Accademia de Concordi, founded in 1580, and a fair picture gallery enriched with the spoils of the monasteries.
- Palazzo Roverella, largely restored but still example of Renaissance architecture, now serves as town art gallery.
- Palazzo Roncale: Renaissance palace (1555) by Michele Sanmicheli
- Palazzo Venezze (1715)
- Pinacoteca dei Concordi (“Concordi Gallery”) houses important paintings, including a Madonna with Child and Christ with the Cross by Giovanni Bellini, a Flagellation of Christ by Palma the Elder, a Venus with the Mirror by Jan Gossaert, and portraits by Tiepolo and Alessandro Longhi.
