The Valley

Valle San Leonardo is located in the Po delta, between the Po di Levante to the north and the Po di Maistra to the south, six kilometers from the town of Porto Levante and bordering the Bagliona, Baglioncina, Ca’ Pisani and Scanarello Valleys. It is separated from the sea by the Vallona lagoon.

Fishing valleys are shallow brackish water basins closed by embankments, the embankment, “vallum”, with which man closed the lagoons. The difference between a valley and a lagoon lies precisely in man’s ability to regulate the inflow and outflow of water, whether salty or fresh, for the management of various typical activities.

The economy of the valleys has always been based on fishing, where eels have been of particular importance.

The introduction of numerous alien species has led over time to a reduction in this activity, partly compensated by the production of prawns in the summer period and the cultivation of “castraùre“, delicious artichokes that grow luxuriantly in the brackish lands of the Valley.

The Po Delta has inspired illustrious writers and screenwriters, including Zavattini, Guerra, Celati, Flaiano and Moravia.

Many masters of Italian cinema have used the Po as a natural setting; among them we remember De Santis, Vancini, Montaldo, Mazzacurati (”Italian Night, The Right Distance”), Mario Soldati (”The Woman by the River”), Pupi Avati (The House with Laughing Windows), Ermanno Olmi (”Along the River”). In addition, Comencini, the Taviani brothers, Bertolucci, Magni, Soldini, Elisabetta Sgarbi and Bigas Luna have also filmed on the Po Delta.