Rovigo

Rovigo stands on a fertile plain producing top quality corn and fruit and vegetables.

Notwithstanding the very few historic finds so far, the presence has been ascertained in the area by the ancient Venetos first and the Romans after. The first document is dated 24th April 838, where the town is defined in Latin as a “hamlet (rural) called Rodigo”. In 920 the original hamlet was fortified to enable the bishop to move there temporarily to find refuge from the Hungarian raids. There is witness of the Este family being there since 1117, although it only became official in 1194 and, apart from a brief period, they held the town for almost three centuries. It is probably during their reign that the fortification walls were extended to include the inhabited centre of the town, which by then extended along both sides of the River Adigetto. In the XV century Rovigo and the entire Polesine area entered Venice’s orbit, as the Republic had begun its expansion inland by then. The Venetians entered Rovigo in 1482 and remained for around three centuries.

To Visit: Rovigo Cathedral of Saint Stefano, it was built beginning from 1067 and was extended in the mid XV century. From ancient sources it seems that originally the cathedral had five altars and was in good condition even though the furnishings were very few. In 1711 the old cathedral was demolished and the new one completed in 1729. The Church of the Beata Vergine del Soccorso (also called the Rotonda) has an unusual octagonal layout. The building was designed in 1594 to house what was considered a miraculous image of the Madonna and Child sitting on her knee holding a rose. The image was renamed by the faithful Santa Maria del Soccorsoas they believed she protected the people from the plague that was taking many victims in the area.