Sacca degli Scardovari
Sacca degli Scardovari Historical Timeline
Last updated on September 8, 2026Origins
The sacche of the delta formed as the river built its fan seaward and sandbars closed off shallow bays behind them -- a process that is still going on.
Turning points
The delta as it exists dates from the Taglio di Porto Viro of 1600-1604, when Venice diverted the Po southward to stop its silt filling the lagoon. The Scardovari basin is a product of the growth that followed.
Influential people
Fishing here was traditionally for eel and lagoon fish. Shellfish farming is the modern development, and it now dominates the basin: the mussels of Scardovari hold protected designation.
Cultural evolution
The 1951 flood emptied much of the Polesine, and the fishing communities around the sacca shrank with it. What remains is a smaller and older population than a century ago.
Present-day significance
The basin now sits inside the Po Delta regional park and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and its two economies -- shellfish and birds -- share the same water.