Badia Polesine, RO

Bike Veneto, Italy - Rovigo Province

Positioned on the right bank of the Adige river, Badia Polesine owes its name to the Abbey of Vangadizza, an important Benedictine monastery founded before the year·1000 and abolished in 1810 during the French domination.

Today, only the cloister of this great monastic complex can be seen. The cloister dates back to 1200, which is accessed by a Gothic brick arch from 1400. The square outside the church houses the remains of two Este sarcophagi that hold the mortal remains of the Estensi family, benefactors and founders of Hanover, ancestors of the current British royal family.Badia Polesine has other artistic treasures such as the impressive Church of San Giovanni Battista, distinguished by the large painted medallion on the ceiling. Visitors should also visit the gracious Oratory of Beata Vergine Maria della Salute, which contains an impressive altar in polychrome marble. The Theater, the pride of the town, also called "scatola d'oro" (gold box) because of the numerous gold leaf friezes or "small Fenice" because of its similarity to the prestigious theater of Venice.

Passing through the streets of the city you can admire other beautiful buildings and the "A. E. Baruffaldi" Civic Museum holds substantial documentation on the history of the town, a number of important Roman archaeological findings and paintings by painters from Badia.