Ficarolo
Ficarolo lies in the upper Polesine, right against the Po's embankment, at a point on the river that in 1152 was the stage for one...
Updated 12 July 2026
The story
The story of Ficarolo
The Upper Polesine and the Great River
Ficarolo lies in the upper Polesine, on the border between the provinces of Rovigo and Ferrara, in a territory entirely shaped by the presence of the Po. The village developed right against the main embankment, on an extremely fertile agricultural plain that has always been exposed to hydraulic risk, as its own history shows. It is a small municipality where everyday life has always been measured against the river, through floods, land reclamation and containment works.
The 1152 Ficarolo Breach
In 1152, after intense and repeated rainfall, the Po broke its banks at several points near Ficarolo, flooding the countryside and marshlands of the Polesine in what tradition remembers as the Rotta di Ficarolo: in reality a series of successive breaches occurring over about two decades. It was the House of Este, lords of the territory crossed by the lower Po, who carried out the embankment works on the new branch, which subsequently took the name Po di Ficarolo. The event partly redrew the hydrographic and territorial layout of the entire lower Veneto and eastern Emilia.
The Leaning Bell Tower
Ficarolo's symbol is the leaning bell tower of the parish church, designed in the 18th century by the Ferrara architect Gaetano Barbieri, the same architect who designed the church itself. Standing about 75 metres tall including the cross, the tower has shown a clear tilt since its very construction, which over the centuries has required numerous safety interventions. Its lean, among the most pronounced in Italy after that of the Tower of Pisa, is today a source of curiosity for anyone visiting the village.
The Parish Church and the Historic Centre
The tower stands alongside the parish church designed by the same Barbieri, the heart of a small, compact and orderly historic centre, typical of the villages of the upper Polesine. The old town's streets radiate from the main square, amid low houses and rural architecture, without grand monumental ambitions but with the genuine atmosphere of a provincial village.
An Economy Tied to Land and River
Ficarolo remains today a predominantly agricultural municipality, set within the productive landscape of the Polesine, amid cereal fields and crops typical of the Po Valley plain. It is not a village built for mass tourism, but its river history and leaning bell tower make it an interesting stop for anyone cycling the route along the Po's embankments.
The Po as Resource and Landscape
The GT5 Po Veneto Occidentale cycling route crosses Ficarolo's territory, offering a scenic path along the river's embankments, through poplar groves, reed beds and birdwatching spots. Walking or cycling along these embankments helps visitors better grasp the scale and power of the great river that, eight centuries ago, changed its course in this very stretch of the Polesine.
Experiences not to miss
- Take a close look at the tilt of the leaning bell tower
- Retrace the history of the 1152 Ficarolo breach
- Cycle the Po's embankments along the GT5 route
- Visit the parish church in the historic centre
- Discover the farming life of the upper Polesine
To see
What to see in Ficarolo
Routes · Trovido Route
