In 1992, thanks to the support of Pro Loco of Ariano Polesine, the Provincial Administration of Rovigo decided to finance the building of a Cultural Tourist Centre on a land lot of approximately 1,600 square metres, previously occupied by a primary school building, since it believed San Basilio to lie within the scopes of tourism fostering of the area of the Delta of the river Po.
Works were concluded in June 1994, and the building was inaugurated on 6th April 1995.
At the moment it occupies a covered area of 523 square metres and contains the most interesting items among the ones found in the various excavation campaigns carried out by the Superintendence for Archaeological Treasures between the late Seventies and the end of the Eighties.
The archaeological section, preceded by a geomorphological one showing the main changes in the territory through the centuries, will be soon enriched by a virtual reconstruction of the San Basilio archaeological site, enabling visitors to ideally travel through time, stopping at the key moments in the most remote history of this area.
The current organization is the result of the “Coast-to-Coast” Italy-Slovenia Interreg project, financed by the European Community. Finally, the large introductory panels were donated by the Region Veneto for the “Memory route” project.
In the surrounding area…
CHURCH OF SAN BASILIO
At a distance of 50 metres, the parish church of San Basilio, located on a fossil dune, the remains of a protohistoric coast, is characterized by a sequence of three building periods: the earliest dates back to the early Middle Ages, the second one to the 9th-12th centuries, the latest to the 18th century. In this latest period, it was also used as a burial place for prelates and noblemen.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION
At a distance of 50 metres, within Forzello holding, a particularly designed cover makes it possible to see the remains of a large early Christian architectural complex, including a church, erected near an octagonal baptistery and a small cemetery with tombs covered with brick two-slope roofs, which were dug out during recent archaeological excavations.
SAN BASILIO OAK
At a distance of 1,000 metres, at the base of the bank of the river Po di Goro, you can see the “Rovra” ("oak" in the local dialect), the oldest Quercus robur L in Polesine, whose existence is mentioned in a document dating back to 1548. It is 35 metres high and it has a circumference of 6.20 metres.
FOSSIL DUNES
Located near the western side of Via San Basilio, fossil dunes show where the coastline was in the 10th century; thanks to a careful environmental restoration operation, they are now a geological site of great importance. A stratigraphic section picture and a description panel make it possible to see what is present inside of them.
ROTTA DI SAN MARTINO
A whirlpool located along the Iron Age coastline; it is characterized by a kind of vegetation which is mostly hygrophilous (willows and black poplars).
The archaeological material found in the late Seventies and during the Eighties in various excavation campaigns which took place at Forzello holding, now exhibited in the San Basilio Cultural Tourist Centre, shows the archaeological importance of this area and supplies documentary evidence of the history of San Basilio in the ancient age.
The excavations carried out made it possible to explore part of a large village inhabited from the early 6th century b.C. till the end of the 5th century b.C. by Etruscans, Greeks and Venetians. It lay near the branch of the river Po called river Po di Copparo, near the coastal dunes, in a strategic position from where river and sea trade could be kept under control. Merchants and craftsmen of various origins lived in wood and clay houses. Goods from every part of the Central-Eastern Mediterranean Sea and from Etruria would arrive here, to be sorted into the Po Valley later on.
After it was abandoned, the San Basilio zone was no longer inhabited until, during the 2nd century b.C., the Romans built an important consular road which ran through it, Popilia road, which started at Rimini and headed towards Adria. A post-house, mansio Hadriani, was erected in this area, around which some farms and, perhaps, a village were built.
Excavation campaigns have detected a series of areas which can be attributed to a large countryside villa, which was restructured several times. In addition to some living spaces, some of which with floor mosaics and wall frescoes, the remains of what seems to be a brick drier were dug out; it was evidently connected with a furnace, which has not been found yet.
Excavation finds prove that the villa was used from the 1st century b.C. till the end of the 5th century a.D. at least.
The building, having a quadrangular plan, consists of a single room surrounding a central cavedium, covered by a glass roof.
The cavedium contains the Roman headstones dug out, among which the case of a large marble sarcophagus stands out.
Along the first arm of the big room there are several geomorphological panels, which explain the main changes this territory has undergone throughout the centuries.
Then, along the wall of the main wing, there are five glass cabinets, containing a selection of exhibits dating back to the pre-Roman and Roman ages, as well as two numismatics glass cabinets, the first one of which contains a series of bronze Roman coins found at San Basilio between 1976 and 1980, within the framework of the archaeological excavations carried out in Forzello and Rocchi holdings; the second one will contain a little treasure, made up of silver coins dating back to the Roman republican age.
Two panels explain the excavations carried out in the church of San Basilio, whereas a third one provides information about the latest archaeological finds, namely an important early Christian complex.
Management: Venetian Regional Park of the Delta of the River Po
Operating management: CO.SE.DEL.PO - La Cooperativa del Parco a, r. l.
Activities: Guided tours, teaching workshops, tourism fostering and tourist information.
Reservation and information contact person:
Mara Santarato – CO.SE.DEL.PO
mobile 346 3357534
URL: http://www.smppolesine.it /sbasilio /eng_pagine/home.php | Last update: 03 August 2011 02:18:34