Holiday packages

Valid from 9th November 2019 to 13rd April 2020

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino, was born in Cento, near Bologna, in 1591 and died in Bologna in 1666. He was a major exponent of Baroque painting in Europe. To understand his unmistakeable and intense art, with its emotional vibrancy, it helps to understand the land where he was born and where he lived. Cento, with its monuments and landscape, shaped the colours and atmosphere evoked in the work of Guercino.

Valid from 9th February to 8th March 2020

Program 2 days / 1 night - € 115,00 per person

Day 1: Arrive in Ferrara, check-in in hotel and free lunch. In the afternoon at 3.00 p.m. o'clock guided tour of Ferrara. Dinner in typical restaurant and overnight.

Day 2: Check-out and start for Cento. Free lunch and in the afternoon entrance on the famous Carnival of Cento.

Program 3 days / 2 nights - € 170,00 per person 

Day 1:  Arrive in Ferrara, check-in in hotel, free dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Free time in the mornign for to visit the city of Ferrara, light lunch in the coffie bar inside the Estense Castle and in the afternoon, guided tour at 3.00 pm o'clock. Typical dinner in restaurant and overnight. 

Day 3: Check-out and start for Cento. Free lunch and in the afternoon entrance on the famous Carnival of Cento.

Departures: every weekend from April until October
Take a weekend to discover the Estense city and its impressive castle, then hop on your bike to discover the delights of the Estense family, along the Po di Volano river bank, through the valleys of Ostellato until you reach the Abbey of Pomposa.

1st day – Friday: ARRIVAL AT FERRARA 
Arrival in Ferrara. Check-in at Hotel. Bike pick-up and free time for a bike ride to discover the famous streets and squares. We recommend a ride through the “Ferrara countryside,” a small paradise right inside the Medieval walls of Ferrara. Optional stop in at TerraVivabio to taste their natural products. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon, a guided visit of the Estense Castle with a tour guide who will explain the history and the most interesting anecdotes as they guide you through the various rooms of the castle, from the prisons, to the kitchens on a hunt to learn more about the Estense family. In the evening, there will be a meeting with our representative who will give you all the necessary information to continue your tour. Dinner at a restaurant and overnight in the hotel.

2nd day – Saturday: FERRARA / OSTELLATO (km 38,9) 
Breakfast in the hotel and departure towards Ostellato. Your luggage will be transferred by us to the hotel where you will stay Saturday night. The route that you will follow will be on streets with very little traffic along small villages. You will admire the famous “Estense delights” of Bel Riguardo and the Verginese Castle until you arrive to the riverbank of the Po di Volano river. You will then proceed until the inlet “Vallive di Ostellato,” a zone rich in fresh water, a unique place in the territory, which populated by beautiful white and grey herons and covered with reed groves, water lilies and blooming reeds. Check-in at Hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

3rd day – Sunday: OSTELLATO / POMPOSA (km 30)  / FERRARA 
Breakfast in the hotel. Leave the hotel rooms and depart towards Pomposa. At Migliarino, you will enter the bike path until Migliaro, where you will then return to the Po di Volano riverbank. Along the way you can admire the Tieni Island, a island formed inside the course of the Volano river, where the Tower of Tieni stands out. The tower is a historic building dating from the 400s which used to serve as a lighthouse and the duties barrier from which tolls were collected from the vessels. Next stop: Codigoro. Under the shade of the abandoned sugar factory and near the water pump system for the Reclamation Consortium, rises the Garzaia, otherwise known at the City of the Herons, where various species have settled: little egrets, black-crowned night herons, grey herons and great white herons. Thanks to a watch tower, it is possible to study, observe and monitor the birds without disturbing them. The tour continues towards the Abbey of Pomposa, full of history and one of the most suggestive places of the Po river Delta Park. It was once an island surrounded by the Po di Volano river, the Po di Goro river and the sea; it is now a fascinating place of art and culture. It is considered one of the most important Roman buildings. It was founded by the Benedictines before the IX century on a “island” between the sea and the Po river, and it thus experienced many years of glory, especially during the centuries after 1000. During this period, its property included not only many areas of the delta, but also vast areas of other Italian regions. On Sundays at 11:00 AM the Catholic Holy Mass is held. In the Benedictine complex, it is possible to admire the cathedral, the refectory, and chapter house, or you can relax in the green areas of the large surrounding park. At the end, there is a visit to a wine producer for a tasting of the typical wines of the sands. Bike return and return to Ferrara with a private transfer organized by us. Arrival in Ferrara and end of tour.

Departures: everyday - All year around

A unique tour departing from Argenta where you will pedal along the countryside rich with vineyards (the famous vineyards of the sands) then you will reach Comacchio with its channels and bridges which are reminiscent of Venice. In Comacchio, the capital city of eel, you can visit the Museum of the “Manifattura dei Marinati” where they still produce marinated eel. After having visited the valleys with the largest pink flamingo colony in Italy, you will continue along toward the north station of the Po river Delta park. You will sleep near the Pomposa Abbey and near the Po di Volano river, then start up the next day and pedal towards Ostellato, among the fruit and wheat fields of the Ferrara countryside, discovering the Estense delights along the way until Ferrara.

1st day – Tuesday: ARRIVAL IN ARGENTA / COMACCHIO (46 km)
Upon request, it is possible to add a night in Ferrara
Arrival in Argenta. Argenta can be reached by car or by train from Ferrara and from Ravenna. Based on your arrival time, we recommend a visit at the Land Reclamation Consortium, to Sante Valley or to the Valley Museum. Departure for Comacchio. You will take a path that will cross the famous countryside of the wine of the sands, between channels and cultivations, and you will arrive in the Comacchio valley. Here you will be submersed in a unique show as you pedal along a path that is surrounded by water and the avifauna of the Delta: you will feel like you are pedaling on water! You will then arrive at the historic house Casone di Valle, where the Bettolino di Foce restaurant operates, for a nice break and with a small deviation in the valley. With a little bit of luck, you may be able to admire the elegant pink flamingos. To end, you will follow the “bilanconi” to arrive in Comacchio, known as the “little Venice.” Check-in at hotel, where you will find your luggage, dinner (not included) and evening walk in the historic center. Overnight stay in hotel

2nd day – Wednesday: COMACCHIO / PO DELTA (km 40)
Breakfast at the hotel. Free time to visit Comacchio, with the impressive Trepponti bridges, the Loggia of the traders, the Cathedral and the famous Loggia of the Cappuccini, as well as the °Manifattura dei Marinati” (Factory where they cook the famous eel from Comacchio) for a visit of the 12 chimneys so that you are emerged in the culture and tradition of the valley. Departure for the north station of the Po river delta Park. You will cross some of the 7 beaches of Comacchio, following the bike path which skirts the “Lago delle Nazioni,” so that you can pedal securely through beaches and pine trees. Once you have passed through the last beach “Volano,” you will arrive in the Delta of the Po River where you will spend the night. Upon your arrival, you will find your luggage, and after a break, it will be possible to have a dinner where you can taste the typical cuisine of the valley (dinner included). Overnight.

3rd day – Thursday: PO DELTA / POMPOSA / OSTELLATO (54 km)
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning to discover the Po river Delta. You can admire the Mesola forest (where with some luck you can see deer and fallow deer) the “Sacca di Goro” and the sea. You will follow the riverbank of a tributary of the Po di Goro river, where you can admire the typical nature of the Po river delta. A break at the Pomposa Abbey and free time to for a visit at the abbey, one of the most suggestive places of the Po Delta Park full of history. Once an island surrounded by the Po di Volano river, the Po di Goro river and the sea, it is now a fascinating place of art and culture. It is considered one of most important Roman buildings. It was founded by the Benedictines before the IX century on a “island” between the sea and the Po river, and it experienced many years of glory, especially during the centuries after 1000. During this period, its property included not only many areas of the delta, but also vast areas of other Italian regions. On Sundays at 11:00 AM the Catholic Holy Mass is held. In the Benedictine complex, it is possible to admire the cathedral, the refectory, and chapter house, or you can relax in the green areas of the large surrounding park. Departure for Ostellato. Next stop: Codigoro. Under the shade of the abandoned sugar factory and near the water pump system for the Reclamation Consortium, rises the Garzaia, otherwise known at the City of the Herons, where various species have settled: little egrets, black-crowned night herons, grey herons and great white herons. Thanks to a watch tower, it is possible to study, observe and monitor the birds without disturbing them. Back on the road towards Ostellato along the riverbank of the Po di Volano. You can admire the Tieni Island, a island formed inside the course of the Volano river, where the Tower of Tieni stands out. This tower is a historic building dating from the 400s which used to serve as a lighthouse and a duties barrier in order to collect tolls from the vessels. The last part is a bike path that will take you to Ostellato. Arrival, dinner and overnight stay.

4th day – Friday: OSTELLATO / FERRARA (km 40)
Breakfast at the hotel. Your luggage will be left at the hotel and they will be transferred to Ferrara. You will depart following streets with little traffic which cross through small villages and will allow you to enjoy the “Estense Delights” such as the Verginese and Bel Riguardo buildings. Arrival in Ferrara and end of the tour. Upon request, it is possible to lengthen your stay at Ferrara.