Orchards, ceramics and a sanctuary

The route

Start and finish at Lama di Valle Rosa

The route winds through open Ferrara countryside alongside wheat fields and orchards, with many old farmhouses and barns scattered in the green. A flat, relaxing ride with two unmissable stops: the Madonna del Poggetto Sanctuary, one of the oldest places of devotion in the Ferrara area, and Franco Mazza's workshop, where the ancient Este court tradition of graffito ceramics is still alive.

1. 1

   Via Sgarbata → Via Pandolfina → Via dell'Olmo

   ~4 km

   Leave the agriturismo and turn left along Via Sgarbata until Via Pandolfina appears on the left (signposted S. Egidio). Continue to Via dell'Olmo (signposted Beata Vergine del Poggetto) and turn left. Via dell'Olmo follows the ancient Cavo Ducale, an embankment built by Duke Ercole I d'Este to contain the flooding waters of the Po and its tributary the Reno — you can notice it sits higher than the surrounding land.

2. 2

   Madonna del Poggetto Sanctuary

   To visit the Sanctuary, leave the route and turn left into the quiet that surrounds it. The park around the sanctuary is a popular Sunday picnic spot for locals, who also play Bac e Pandon here — a bat-and-stick game similar to baseball. The Sanctuary is very ancient. It is said that before the year 1000, in this then wooded and marshy area, local inhabitants attached a Madonna image — probably terracotta — to a large oak tree. By the late 1200s a wayside shrine known as the Capitello del Podio already existed; by the late 1400s an oratory called the Podioleto had been built. In 1554 the Madonna image was painted as we see it today, with the Child in her arms — a work attributed in the 19th century to Sebastiano Filippi, known as il Bastianino, who was active in Ferrara at that time. Over the centuries the Madonna was credited with miraculous powers, earning her coronation on 15 September 1901: the gold and gemstone crowns placed that day on the heads of the Madonna and the Christ Child are clearly visible in the image. It was miraculously saved from flames at the end of World War II, then kept in the parish church of S. Egidio until its return to the Sanctuary where it now stands.

3. 3

   Via Bassa — Franco Mazza's Workshop (Via Bassa 182, S. Egidio)

   Along Via Bassa the route runs beside the right bank of the Po di Primaro, an ancient main channel of the great river, visible in glimpses between houses and fields. On the right, at number 182, set within the green park surrounding a farmhouse, you find Franco Mazza's workshop and showroom. Here you can watch the making of the magnificent yellow-and-green Ferrara ceramics that once adorned the Este family's tables. For groups of at least 6 people and by appointment, Mr and Mrs Mazza will share the history and symbolism behind this historic craft.

4. 4

   San Egidio Parish Church

   Back on Via Bassa, ride through the village of S. Egidio past the parish church with its beautiful 17th-century Romanesque-style facade. On 1 September the village celebrates its patron saint — a local fair is held and the church is open to visitors.

5. 5

   Return — Via Pandolfina → Via Sgarbata

   Shortcut return: after passing the cemetery on the left, look for a roadside shrine with a Madonna image — opposite it, Via Pandolfina begins (turn right). Follow it to Via Sgarbata (turn right at the stop sign), which leads directly back to the agriturismo.