The Bassa and the Po River - « Back to Tours

The Parma lowland area known as the “Bassa”  - a fertile stretch of land that follows the banks of the Po river- is an incredibly suggestive location, as captivating as the great river that runs through it. The Po river has always been an important point of reference for the  surrounding  land and its inhabitants.

Docile but at times surprisingly ferocious, gentle but sometimes brutal the Po is a river of contrasts, those same contradictions that are characteristic of Verdi’s melodramas  and also of the people – generous and loyal – that inhabit this area. This area of Parma is mainly dedicated to agriculture, to pig farming or to the cultivation of crops. Here pork meat is the “star” of the table ( from hams to the seasoned meats and the famous “Culatello di Zibello”) accompanied by a host of food and wine delicacies. When cloaked in its autumn mists or summer heat haze the lowland landscape it as its most captivating. It is dotted with small villages with an abundance of  precious historical and artistic treasures: noble houses (Sanseverino in Colorno,  Sanvitale in Fontanellato,  Meli Lupi in Soragna, Rossi in Roccabianca and San Secondo and so on), ancient churches, museums, and collections of all types.

Villages such as Colorno with its wonderful palace where the dukes of Parma spent their free time ( today headquarters of the International School of Italian Cookery – ALMA); Soragna with its Meli Lupi family fortress; Fontanellato and its castle that is home to frescoes by  Parmigianino in the Diana and Atteone rooms; Fontevivo with its imposing Cistercian abbey; Roccabianca, Sissa, Copermio and lots more.

The “Bassa” was also home to Giovannino Guareschi ( born in Fontanelle), the creator of Don Camillo and Peppone and it is also the setting for his “small world” ( the “Giovannino Guareschi” exhibition,  set up by his children, is in Roncole Verdi).  It has also provided the backdrop  for lots of Italian films. The director Bernardo Bertolucci directed his film  “ Novecento” in one of the local agricultural estates.

The  opportunities for sightseeing and things to do are endless  with everything from food itineraries to art exhibitions and Nature tours. One of the most popular tours is a bicycle- boat tour or  for bicycle enthusiasts a signposted route that runs for 50 km along the banks and dams of the “great river”.

Some photos: