Porto Tolle: The Land Born from the Po in the Heart of the Delta

Porto Tolle is a municipality in the province of Rovigo in Veneto.

It is a scattered municipality and the municipal seat is located in the hamlet of Ca’ Tiepolo. It is situated in the heart of the Po Delta, completely surrounded by the waters of the Po and the Adriatic Sea, so much so that most of its territory lies two meters below sea level. Furthermore, it is the largest municipality in the Veneto Regional Park of the Po Delta.

The territory of Porto Tolle is of very recent formation and could almost be considered a gift from Venetian rule. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, in fact, the Venetians, concerned about the amount of debris carried by the Po that risked burying the lagoon, carried out the Taglio di Porto Viro, which diverted the course of the river by about 12 miles.

Precisely from this “cut” some lands emerged that were entrusted to Venetian nobles who built their country houses there. And in fact, in Porto Tolle there are many locations that bear the name of noble Venetian families (Venier, Mocenigo, Tiepolo…).

In 1849, Angelo Brunetti, known as "Ciceruacchio", was shot by firing squad in Porto Tolle along with his two sons and 5 other patriots. The group of patriots led by Garibaldi was supposed to reach Venice, but split up due to the death of Anita Garibaldi. Garibaldi and a group of men stopped near Comacchio, while Ciceruacchio and the others continued, later being captured and executed.

In 1867, the name of the town was changed from San Niccolò d’Ariano to Porto Tolle.

 Porto Tolle website: http://www.comune.portotolle.ro.it/.

 Altitude of the Municipality: 1 m (zone: 5)