Fratta Polesine

Among villas, churches and museums

Italy is full of tiny towns with much to offer the visitor. One of these can be found in the province of Rovigo and is called Fratta Polesine. Althoughthe town is small in both size and number of inhabitants, don't be fooled - you'll need more than a day to discover all its hidden treasures.

Inhabited since ancient times, Fratta Polesina is best known for the sixteenth-century Villa Badoer, known as La Badoera, designed by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Built on a plinth and enhanced by a scenic staircase, it has the appearance of an ancient temple surrounded by terraces. Inside, there are decorations and frescoes with mythological and allegorical themes, reproductions of herbs and fruit and grotesque figures.

The town's religious architecture contains important works of art, such as the Church of San Francesco, built in the 16th century. Not only religious ceremonies are celebrated, but exhibitions, concerts of sacred music and conferences are also held here. The 18th-century rectory and the 16th- century parish church of Saints Peter and Paul are also beautiful.

There are many 18th-century villas, with stuccoes, coats of arms, friezes, noble floors, and museums: of ethnography, archaeology, a museum dedicated to the Italian anti-fascist Giacomo Matteotti and the Mulino al Pizzon eco-museum.

The long list of reasons that make it an important and lively destination is completed by festivals, fairs, historical re-enactments and the Festival of Culture held in late spring.