waters of Mantova

MANTOVA
A city born from the waters
Surrounded on three sides by lakes, reshaped during
history as defensive bulwarks, Mantova rises almost
magically from those waters, attributed by a legend to
the teardrops of the Greek seer Manto. The
relationship between Mantova and water is a very
close one: the river Mincio, the lakes, and the
mediaeval canal called “Rio” are part of the Mantuan
traditions and of the local culture. Water is necessary
for survival, being the fundamental component of all living beings, but man has used it in many other ways.
It ensures soil fertility and allows cultivation; it can provide for the transportation of people, materials and
handicraft; it supplies energy for mills and lathes; chemically, it works as a solvent and as a reactant; it
quenches fires; it enables the construction of military defenses; it hosts wild flora and fauna which can be
used for food; clay can be collected from river banks, for building and pottery;
you can also have a good time in it, and
get a cool break from heat. As it often
happens, man has discovered darker
sides, such as the usage of waterways as
sewers or dumps, or of water for
torturing heretics and political enemies.
Water can also be cruel, as the nature to
which it belongs : it hosts diseasecarrying insects and micro-organisms; floods destroy everything they
come across; treacherous holes hide the danger of drowning.
All this is well-known to Mantova, as well as, more recently, the growth of public awareness about the
environment: its lakes are still among the most polluted places in Italy, but the defense of nature has become
one of the objectives of this community.
The land of Virgil
The (anonymous) epitaph written on the grave of Virgil, Latin poet extraordinaire
(Publius Vergilius Maro, 70-19 BCE), the earliest great from Mantova, states:
Mantua me genuit, Calabri rapuere, tenet nunc Parthenope; cecini pascua, rura, duces
Mantova generated me, Puglia [*] took me, Naples keeps me; I sang about pastures,
fields, chieftains [**]
[*] Puglia, where Virgil died, was then called Calabria
[**] Referring to his major works (Bucolics, Georgic s, Aeneid)
According to Virgil, the founder of Mantova was Ocno, whose mother was the Greek seer Manto and whose
father was Tiberino, an ancient Italic deit y connected, as the name betrays, to the river Tiber (Tevere). He
mentions this in his greatest work, the Aeneid, as we can read with the translation provided by Project
Gutenberg.
Aeneid, Book X
196
196
197
Ille etiam patriis agmen ciet Ocnus ab oris,
fatidicae Mantus et Tusci filius amnis,
qui muros matrisque dedit tibi, Mantua, nomen
Ocnus was next, who led his native train
Of hardy warriors thro’ the wat’ry plain:
The son of Manto by the Tuscan stream,
From whence the Mantuan town derives the name
Fast forward 13 centuries, to the Divine Comedy, Canto XX of the Inferno (Hell), where we find Virgil
guiding Dante. They are in the eighth circle , that of frauds, in the fourth ditch, which hosts seers, astrologers,
and false prophets: their retribution is having their head turned backwards, having challenged God, while
alive, by watching too far ahead, into the future.
Among them, there is one of the few female sinners of Dante’s Inferno: once
again, it is Manto, here damned along with her father Tiresia, another seer. Dante
follows the tale reported by Statius (Thebaid) , who reports Manto to having
roamed at length, after her father’s death, to escape
the Theban tyrant Creon. At the end of her
wanderings, she stopped by the river Mincio, where
Mantova was founded, taking its name from her. Near
the city (in a village called Andes, now Pietole) was
born Virgil, who, in the Dante fiction, takes the floor
to describe his native land (là dove nacqu’io – where I
was born).
Stradano: Canto XX
Actually, the origin of Mantova is more likely to be an
Etruscan one, and its name could originate from the underworld deity Mantus.
Ocno, instead of being Manto’s son, could be the Etruscan prince (also known as
Bianore) who founded the city; or a distortion of the name of another underworld
deity, Orco. Thus, Virgil is at least partially right in attributing a “Tuscan” origin
to Mantova, Tuscany being historically linked to Etruscans.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The following is the description of Mantova which Dante has Virgil deliver; the English translation was
made in 1867 by none other than the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), an
estimator and divulgator of Dante. He also founded, with some friends, the “Dante Club”, which would later
become the current “Dante Society”.
Dante, Inferno, Canto XX
55
56
57
Manto fu, che cercò per terre molte;
poscia si puose là dove nacqu'io;
onde un poco mi piace che m'ascolte.
Was Manto, who made quest through many lands,
Afterwards tarried there where I was born;
Whereof I would thou list to me a little.
58
59
60
Poscia che 'l padre suo di vita uscìo
e venne serva la città di Baco,
questa gran tempo per lo mondo gio.
After her father had from life departed,
And the city of Bacchus had become enslaved,
She a long season wandered through the world.
61
62
63
Suso in Italia bella giace un laco,
a piè de l'Alpe che serra Lamagna
sovra Tiralli, c'ha nome Benaco.
Above in beauteous Italy lies a lake
At the Alp's foot that shuts in Germany
Over Tyrol, and has the name Benaco.
64
65
66
Per mille fonti, credo, e più si bagna
tra Garda e Val Camonica e Pennino
de l'acqua che nel detto laco stagna.
By a thousand springs, I think, and more, is bathed
'Twixt Garda and Val Camonica, Pennino,
With water that grows stagnant in that lake.
67
68
69
Loco è nel mezzo là dove 'l trentino
pastore e quel di Brescia e 'l veronese
segnar poria, s'e' fesse quel cammino.
Midway a place is where the Trentine Pastor,
And he of Brescia, and the Veronese
Might give his blessing, if he passed that way.
70
71
72
Siede Peschiera, bello e forte arnese
da fronteggiar Bresciani e Bergamaschi,
ove la riva 'ntorno più discese.
Sitteth Peschiera, fortress fair and strong,
To front the Brescians and the Bergamasks,
Where round about the bank descendeth lowest.
73
74
75
Ivi convien che tutto quanto caschi
ciò che 'n grembo a Benaco star non può,
e fassi fiume giù per verdi paschi.
There of necessity must fall whatever
In bosom of Benaco cannot stay,
And grows a river down through verdant pastures.
76
77
78
Tosto che l'acqua a correr mette co,
non più Benaco, ma Mencio si chiama
fino a Governol, dove cade in Po.
Soon as the water doth begin to run
No more Benaco is it called, but Mincio,
Far as Governo, where it falls in Po.
79
80
81
Non molto ha corso, ch'el trova una lama,
ne la qual si distende e la 'mpaluda;
e suol di state talor essere grama.
Not far it runs before it finds a plain
In which it spreads itself, and makes it marshy,
And oft 'tis wont in summer to be sickly.
82
83
84
Quindi passando la vergine cruda
vide terra, nel mezzo del pantano,
sanza coltura e d'abitanti nuda.
Passing that way the virgin pitiless
Land in the middle of the fen descried,
Untilled and naked of inhabitants;
85
86
87
Lì, per fuggire ogne consorzio umano,
ristette con suoi servi a far sue arti,
e visse, e vi lasciò suo corpo vano.
There to escape all human intercourse,
She with her servants stayed, her arts to practise
And lived, and left her empty body there.
88
89
90
Li uomini poi che 'ntorno erano sparti
s'accolsero a quel loco, ch'era forte
per lo pantan ch'avea da tutte parti.
The men, thereafter, who were scattered round,
Collected in that place, which was made strong
By the lagoon it had on every side;
91
92
93
Fer la città sovra quell'ossa morte;
e per colei che 'l loco prima elesse,
Mantüa l'appellar sanz'altra sorte.
They built their city over those dead bones,
And, after her who first the place selected,
Mantua named it, without other omen.
[Virgil speaking, referring to Manto] She is the Theban witch, who roamed at length, and settled where I was
born, so I would like you to listen to me for a while . When her father lost his life and the city of Bacchus
[Thebes] was enslaved, she wandered the world for a long time. Under the mountains separating from
Germany [Lamagna] over Tyrol [Tiralli] there lies a lake named Benaco. Its water comes from many rivers,
between the city of Garda, the Camonica valley, and the Alps [then called Pennines]. In the middle of the
lake there is the boundary between Trento, Brescia , and Verona, where the respective bishops could each
give blessing [the spot where the three provinces meet]. Downstream lies Peschiera, a mighty fortress which
protects Verona from Brescia and Bergamo, and where the lake forms the river Mincio [Mencio] which
flows as far as Governolo [Governol], where it joins the river Po. After a short route, the river widens into a
basin [lama], where it becomes a swamp, often unhealthy [grama] in
the summer months. There arrived the cruel woman [Manto,
according to Statius, practiced human sacrifices], she saw this harsh,
marshy land, desolate and empty; there, to avoid men, she stayed
with her servants, practicing magic , leaving there her empty body
[at her death]. The men living around there gathered in that place,
well protected by the surrounding marshes. They built a city on her
bones, and honoring who had first chosen the place, they called it
“Mantua” without casting omens [as was customary when a city
was founded].
The river Mincio
Here is Mantova, standing in an unhealthy swamp: not a great
introduction for a place which, actually, owes its lakes several drawbacks, especially, since time
immemorial, mosquitoes and a sweltering summer heat.
The waterworks of Mantova
As we can see, even Dante mentions the Mincio swamps. Those waters, in the course of history, were
regulated with the creation of the lakes of Mantova, three of which are still existent. The hydrographic
history of these lakes is a perfect example of interaction between natural processes and human intervention.
In the Etruscan period the Mincio probably merged with the river Tartarus in the Veronese countryside, then
flowed into the Adriatic Sea, just north of the Po. The current route, to
the Po in Governolo, could be due to the intervention, in Roman times,
of Quintus Curius Hostilius (also considered the founder and eponym
of the town of Ostiglia ), or, according to other sources, to a devastating
flood of the river Adige (known as the “rotta della Cucca”) in AD 589.
The existence of a lake basin around Mantova, anyway, is attested by
the research of one of the deans of modern hydraulic engineers, Elia
Lombardini of Cremona (1794-1876), who found reports of it in an XI
century document.
The current layout of the waters of the Mincio around Mantova is due
to the work of the engineer Alberto Pitentino from Bergamo, called in
1189 by the mayor (the called “podestà”), Attone di Pagano, to
implement what the Mantuans wanted: to keep around Mantova a
stretch of water which already formed during floods or high tides, but
dried up during draughts. Pitentino reclaimed swamp land, in the while
organizing a defensive system for the city, which came to be
completely surrounded by four lakes: Superiore, di Mezzo, Inferiore,
and Paiolo (Upper, Middle, Lower, and Cauldron). Passage was
allowed by bridges, two of which - Ponte dei Mulini and Ponte di San Giorgio – are still existent, even
though completely renovated in their structure. Pitentino designed also the Lock of Governolo, to protect
Mantova by the floods of the Po; this work was renovated in 1608 and completed with a navigation lock,
thanks to the Mantuan engineer Gabriele Bertazzolo (1609-1618). The lake Paiolo was subsequently
reclaimed (between 1750 and 1905), to diminish the danger of floods, and to allow new real estate
development: the neighborhood now standing in its place is called “Valletta Paiolo”, and rightly so. In the
current Mantuan hydrography, the Mincio comes from the west, it widens forming lakes around three sides
of the city, then restarts its flow in a dip called “Vallazza”, subsequently shrinking its bed southward, finally
merging with the river Po.
Lakes, bridges and canals of Mantova
Ponte dei Mulini (Mills’ bridge)
To the north of the city, Pitentino built the Zappetto dyke, which to this day forces the waters to a 4-meter
jump through two outlets: the first one, adjustable , is under the north end of the embankment, and is called
Vaso di Porto (commonly known as Vasarone); the second one, at the south end, is called Vasarina. Thus, it
was possible to control the incoming Mincio waters, reducing floods , and to strengthen the lake basin , which
could be used for military defense. Two lakes were formed on the western side of Mantova: Superiore
(upper) and Paiolo (cauldron), thus called for its shape. The water jump worked a battery of 12 mills, which
were added in 1229: this explains the name of Ponte dei Mulini (mills) given to the work, and of Porta
Mulina (mills’ gate) given to the northern access to the city. The settling of Lago Superiore was completed
with a semi-circular embankment, around the year 1842. The bridge was completely destroyed by bombings
during World War II: the embankment and the road were rebuilt, and the two locks were replaced. Two
features are missing, though: the mills and the road covering do not exist any more.
Ponte dei Mulini after destruction and rebuilding
Ponte di San Giorgio
This bridge connects the city to the homonymous village. It was built on
the ruins of an older one, called “Ponte della Cipata”, thus named from the
district which still stands on the eastern bank of the Lago Inferiore,
formerly called “Corno (horn) della Cipata”, and nowadays “Lunetta”, or
“crescent”, as its shape betrays. Originally in wood, it was later rebuilt with
33 brick arches, thus separating the Lago di Mezzo and the Lago Inferiore,
hitherto forming one single basin. In the XVII century, it was equipped
with a draw-bridge, to allow navigation underneath. At the beginning of
the XX century, the bridge had
become obsolete: road traffic
interruptions to allow ship traffic ,
frequent maintenance works, too
narrow a road, the danger of
floods, all called for a major
restyling, which was planned after
the catastrophic flood of 1917.
Between 1921 and 1922 the Ponte di San Giorgio in the “Death of
Virgin” by Andrea Mantegna
arches were interred and the draw- the
1917 flood
(Madrid, Prado museum)
bridge was removed: soil, debris
and asphalt (all hand-carried on wheelbarrows) turned it into a dyke,
completed with a semi-circular embankment, reducing to 40 meters the opening between the two lakes, and
allowing for enlargement and heightening of the above road. During World War II, the bridge was blown up
by German troops; it was replaced with a truss structure, and subsequently with a new reinforced concrete
arch.
The Rio (Riverlet)
Pitentino had the “Rio” dug, a canal which cuts the city into two parts, connecting the Lago Superiore to the
Lago Inferiore. It was a commercial waterway, reaching the fisheries, butcheries, and gold shops located at
the fringe of mediaeval Mantova. It also allowed women an easy access to water for cloth washing
(“bugada”, from which their name “bugadere”). The canal supplied water to the city, was used as a dump,
and became the new city limit. Nowadays only some tracts of the Rio are visible , most of the canal having
been covered with roads. The ancient fisheries were designed by Giulio “Romano” Pippi, and built in 1536
on one of the Rio bridges. Memories of that period still linger in some street names, such as “via Pescheria ”
(Fishery Street) and “via Orefici” (Goldsmiths’ Street).
The cloth-washing bank, then and now
Porto Catena (Chain Port)
The Rio, before terminating its course in the Lago Inferiore, formed a basin separating the districts of
S.Nicolò and S.Martino. This inlet was probably already in use in the XIII century, even though the
commercia l ports of the city were at the “Ancona of S.Agnese” and Cittadella, to the north, on the opposing
banks of the Lago di Mezzo. It was known as “Porto degli Scoli” (Dregs’ Port), a not-too-elegant name
which testified it being the terminal of all the city sewage dumped
into the Rio. The port became the main one starting from 1353 (when
the Ancona of S.Agnese was reclaimed), as is confirmed by the
existence of a stilt chapel, built in 1355 and torn down in 1798. It took
the current name from the chain that was used to close it at night. The
debris from all the works of drainage and renovation of the port,
heaped during the centuries on the southern edge of the port, formed a
wide clearing, which was called “Anconetta”, to distinguish it from
the ancient “Ancona”. The current docks were built in 1899, at a time
when Porto Catena was the largest river-port in Italy , being even
Porto Catena yesterday
called “Nuova Genova” (New Genoa), a name that stuck to the
surrounding area for decades. In the XX century, though, the port became obsolete, gradually losing its
importance. After World War II, there was a favorable period, thanks to the almost exclusive use of the port
by the nearby “Società Ceramica Mantovana”, for the unloading of clay and the loading of handicraft. There
was even a project to bring the lakes “a niveau”, but the flood of 1951 ended this dream, also starting the sad
decline of “Porto Catena”, which would be complete by the 60s. The expensive (and almost new) cranes
were undersold, the “Ceramica” was shut down, and the port was on the brink of demolition: for a while it
hosted tourist motorships, it now stays alive thanks to some nautical clubs, which found a seat there.
Porto Catena today
Lago Paiolo (Cauldron lake)
Residues of Lago Paiolo
In the XVII century, a catastrophic flood of the Mincio deposited a huge
mass of debris, risking to turn once again the lakes into swamps.
Besides restoring the main basins, Lake Paiolo (to the south-west of
Mantova) was reclaimed, also to channel the ever-growing road traffic
to and from the city; a gate called Pusterla (small gate) was built, and
the walls were altered, transforming the former military path into a
public road.
Diga Masetti (Masetti dyke)
The story was much more complicated for outgoing waters. Pitentino himself reduced the river bed, so as to
complete Lago di Mezzo and Lago Inferiore. The overhauling of the area was studied also by Bertazzolo, but
the decisive project was due to the Mantuan hydraulic engineer Agostino Masetti (1806) and, later, the
Marquis Francois de Chasseloup-Laubat, an architect and a general in the French Army, detailed to Italy in
1809. The initial project by Masetti called for an intervention on the Lock of Governolo. Chasseloup
proposed instead the construction of a dyke at the end of Lago Inferiore. Besides regulating the flow of the
Mincio and navigation, this would protect the Zappetto area from the floods of the
Po, and help the landing of boats to Porto Catena during low waters. This dyke was
called by the people “saslup”, adapting to the local language the name of the
architect. The initial project was not completed, also because of the Austrian
restoration: the works would linger for decades, going on more speedily in the
newborn Kingdom of Italy , but were not completed until after World War II. It was
only in 1960 that the final touches were added: a canal called Diversivo, a protective
fornix downstream, and a water pump.
Again, it is Elia Lombardini mentioning the project presented by Luigi Dari (son-inlaw of Masetti) in 1828, in a memory container in the “Giornale dell’Imperia le Regio
Istituto Lombardo di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti” (Journal of the Imperial Royal
Lombard Institute of Sciences, Letters, and Arts, Volume 5):
François de Chasseloup
The ever-growing height of floods of the Po gushing up the city of Mantova with
immense damage to property and to the health of the inhabitants and of the large
standing garrison, called for the studies of specialists to bring remedy. Engineer Luigi
Dari, entertaining the idea of his father-in-law, director Masetti, exposed in a 1807
report, presented in 1828 a preliminary project to divert the Mincio from Governolo,
making it flow into the Po near Serravalle. This way, the flood of the Po in Mantova
would be lowered by more than metr. 1,70. And because a similar effect there would be
also for the lowest river areas, he would also plan to reclaim a large part of the swamps
of the Lago Inferiore of Mantova and to thus improve also the condition of air.
We can note the insistence on air condition, following the persistent miasmatic theory, which still in the XIX
centuries attributed contagion to the in halation of “unhealthy” air. Such an explanation was plausible in cases
like tuberculosis, even though the cause of epidemics was not bad odors, but the inhalation of microorganisms expelled by infected people . On the contrary, much was unknown on the diffusion of diseases like
cholera (caught through ingestion of infected water), the plague (carried by rat fleas) or yellow fever (carried
by mosquitoes). On the other hand, micro-organisms were still unknown, and some decades would pass
before epochal works by John Snow, Henry Whitehead, and Louis Pasteur would explain most contagion
mechanisms.
The old and new railroad bridge on Diga Masetti
Waterworks in Mantova
Diversivo Canal (north of the city)
Vasarone
Vasarina
Fornix of Formigosa (south of the city)
Diversivo Canal (south of the city)
Flora
The banks of the Mincio host trees like poplars, willows, alders, oaks, sycamores and mulberries; the edges
of the river and of the lakes are occupied mainly by swamp reeds and sedges, while the lakes’ waters host
water lilies, water chestnuts, and lotus. The water of the Mincio is also used in rice fields.
Willows, oaks, and alders have large root systems, and are useful in reinforcing the terrain and the river
banks.
Willow
Oak
Alder
Poplar (Populus Nigra)
The poplar is one of the few examples of tree breeding in Italy: flexible and
sturdy, it is used in several ways, such as the construction of plywood panels,
crates, paper, matches. It prefers wet soil, and its growth is very fast: the
cultivation cycle takes between 9 and 12 years (in nature, the poplar lives up
to 400 years). In the province of Mantova there are about 9000 hectares of
poplar fields, with an annual production of approximately 15 tons for hectare
White Mulberry (Morus Alba)
This tree used to have a great importance in the economy of the area: its leaves, in
fact, are the food of the silkworm, whose cocoons are boiled or dried, then wound up
into long silk threads (from 300 to 900 meters for each cocoon). Nowadays, new
plastic materials have greatly reduced the usage of silk; the surviving silk market is
in the hands of the Chinese
Silkworm and cocoon
Sycamore (Platanus Occidentalis)
Even among Mantuans, few know that this tree, a hybrid between American and Asian
species, is an alien species: ever-present in the landscape, it looks like it has always
been there. It is used mainly for decoration of urban landscape, being resistant to
pollution and pruning, with the only drawback of having large, tough leaves, which
obstruct drainage. One of many legends on the sycamore tells that this tree, after
hiding in its trunk the snake of Eden, was punished by God, who gave it the
appearance of snake skin.
Water lily (Nymphaea Alba)
This plant is present in all European swampy waters. Often confused with the lotus, as is
attested by the Arab name ”nenufar” (blue lotus) and the common, though erroneous , name of
“white lotus”; in English, the common name is “Water lily”. It contains alkaloids (nufarine,
nympheine) for which it is traditionally used as a sedative (and, according to some, as an
aphrodisiac).
Water Caltrop/Water chestnut (Trapa Natans)
The water chestnut (left) grows in swampy waters throughout Eurasia and Africa. Its fruits,
called “trigoi” in the local language, recalling the shape of the tricorn
hat, are edible : rich in starch, they were crushed into flour or roasted.
The Latin name “calcitrappa” (thistle ) originated the scientific name
“trapa” and the name of the similar mediaeval weapon (right), called
“caltrop” in English, “piede di corvo” (crow’s foot) or “tribolo” in
Italian.
Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera)
This Asiatic plant was introduced into Lago Superiore in 1921, thanks to a young Natural Sciences major,
Maria Pellegreffi, whose aim was to use its rhizomes as flour, as was
customary in the Far East. This did not happen, and this plant has
infested the lakes of Mantova, particularly Lago Superiore,
overrunning other species with the shade of its huge leaves, called
“caplas” (large hats) in the local language. To this day, the City of
Mantova spends huge amounts of money for the periodical mowings,
necessary to limit its excessive proliferation. There is a project which
plans to use the lotus plant for the depuration of the lake, so as to
create the “lido di Mantova”: a stretch of beach with a bathing basin.
For many, this is pure utopia .
Rice
Canals and moats around the Mincio were in part converted into rice fields. Rice production businesses,
traditionally called “pile”, give their name to the typically Mantuan recipe for “riso alla pilota”, where rice is
boiled under a cloth, which absorbs steam: the rice stays dry, softened only with pork fat.
Flora and artisanate
In the Mantuan hinterland, particularly around Rivalta and Porto Mantovano, reeds were a staple of the local
economy, up to the 1950s. Nowadays, this production has all but disappeared, and swamp reeds and sedges,
no more controlled by man, grow without control.
Reeds on the banks of the Mincio and the lakes
Common reed (Phragmites Australis, Phragmites Communis)
In the past, reeds, very abundant on the banks of the Mincio and of the lakes, were cut by hand, then burned
or used to make handicraft, such as small boats, fences, shades, coverings, even houses. The reeds, which
can reach an height of up to 5 meters, were hand-picked, strung into bundles weighing 60/70 kg, carried on
traditional single -oared boats, then, in summer, heaped on trestles (called ”cavai” , horses) for drying, and
finally manufactured. Placed side by side and bound with a cotton rope (or from other fibers), they could be
worked into mats called “arelle”, used as curtains, shades, or coverings; or they could be pressed into bricks,
roof tiles, even entire walls.
Transportation and storage of reeds
Wall and brick made from reeds
Sedge (Carix Elata)
Several specie s of sedge (“caresa” in the local language) live
on the banks of the Mincio and of the lakes, thriving in flooded
(even temporarily) terrain. These large water grasses have
long, thin leaves, with cutting edges and very tough: unsought
after by herbivores for being so sturdy, they have always been
used by artisans. Sedges were gathered in June, choosing the
longest leaves, which were tied into bundles. After being
cleaned with rakes, they were dried in open air, then coiled up
into small cords, formed by 10 to 30 leaves, on average.
Besides being used as rope, they could be used to cover
demijohns and flasks, to stuff chairs and benches, to be woven
into baskets and hats, to bind wheat or tree sprouts. This
tradition has all but disappeared with mass the industria lization
of the 1950s and 1960s: they are kept alive by some elders as an hobby, and also by some artisans looking
for natural materials.
Desiccating and processing sedge leaves
Fauna
Fresh-water swamps host, among mammals, mainly rodents. One of them belongs to the infamous UNESCO
list of the 100 most dangerous alien specie s (the ones which caused the most damage in the new habitats
where man has introduced them). It is the coypu (Myocastor Coypus), also known as “beaver rat”, originally
bred for its fur. From some individuals, freed or escaped, there has developed a large population, which
provokes untold damage not only to agriculture, but, with its mighty galleries, to the turf and to
embankments. Less damaging are the “classic ” destroyers, the sewer rat (Rattus Norvegicus) and the
harvest mous e (Micromys minutus).
Rodents: sewer rat, harvest mouse, coypu
Water fowl are typical swamp species. We find mallards, waterhens, coots, grebes, kingfishers, herons
(squacco herons, night herons , white herons , grey herons), and gulls. Swans, originating from Cyprus and
introduced by man as a tourist attraction, disrupt the environmental balance, spawning without control and
dumping huge quantities of organic and inorganic matter. Among birds of prey, we find ospreys, marshharriers, and the ubiquitous black kite.
The only one of these water birds which is used in the kitchen is the mallard (Anas platyrhyncos), present in
several recipes, often fruit-based.
M allard in nature (the male is on the right) and in the kitchen
Birds of the Mincio and the lakes
Water hen (Gallinula Chloropus)
Coot (Fulica Atra)
Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Squacco heron (Ardeola Ralloides)
Kingfisher (Alcedo Atthis)
Night heron (Nycticorax Nycticorax)
White heron (Casmerodius Albus)
Gull (Larus michaellis)
Grey heron (Ardea Cinerea)
Mute swan (Cygnus Olor)
Black Kite (Milvus Migrans)
Marsh-harrier (Circus Aeroginosus)
Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus)
Fishing
Fishing is, of course, a Mantuan tradition, even if professional anglers no more roam the lakes of Mantova on
their small green rowboats: the last of them could have been the mythical “Magio”. Angling is preferred, but
the consumption of fish caught in Lago di Mezzo and Lago Inferiore is prohibited, due to water pollution.
These lakes, anyway, host several fishing competitions.
Fishing tools: hang net, fishing-rod, creel
Other fishing tools are the hang-net or “bilancia” (scales, “balansa” in the local language) and the creel, a
devilish chambered trap from which fish, once entered, cannot escape, known in the local language as
bartavel (in Italian, bartavello, or bertovello).
Stewed pike
The most valued local fish is the pike (Esox Lucius), the prince
of Italian fresh-water predators (at least until the introduction of
the sheatfish). The people of the Po has always prepared rich
recipes with this fish, which has a delicious meat: Mantuans
prefed “luccio in salsa” (stewed, with an oily dressing), with the
mandatory side dish of roast “polenta” (cornbread). It is an
international fish: three pikes adorn the coat-of-arms of the
Finnish city of Haukipudas, in northern Ostrobothnia
Haukipudas
Almost disappeared from Mantuan waters is another predator, the catfish (Ictalurus Melas), commonly
enjoyed stewed or fried.
Predators: pike and catfish
The chub or pollard (Squalius Cephalus), coveted by anglers for its fierceness rather than its flesh, is called
by locals “cavasin”, and is the symbol of the tightwad, given its questionable habit of feeding on organic
waste, including human.
The eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a mighty migrator. All eels are born in the
Sargasso Sea, and sexually mature females begin, in autumn, an unbelievable
journey towards this destination. Their instincts is so strong that eels closed in
lakes or swamps try to reach rivers and seas creeping on the round like snakes.
Once at sea, then, they undergo morphological transformations : their eyes swell
and their digestive apparatus atrophies: they don’t feed any more, since, after
Chub
spawning in the Atlantic , they die. The newborns (at least, those which survive) make the reverse route,
arriving, after about 3 years, in the exact place from which their mother had left. This fish has almost
disappeared from Mantuan waters, but not from the kitchen, especially on Christmas Eve, when it is served,
preferably pickled, but sometimes fried.
The eel in water and pickled
There are also non-autoctonous species, which have now become familiar.
The pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis Gibbosus) was introduced from the
USA in the XIX century, and is very well
adapted to our waters, in which it is very
diffused; it gives very good fillet, usually
served with vegetables. Mantuans call it
simply “sunfish”.
Neither the carp (Cyprinus Carpio), sought
for its size rather than its mediocre flesh, is
Sunfish
native to this area: it was introduced into
Italy by the ancient Romans. It is another
member of the UNESCO list of the 100 most dangerous alien species.
Carp
Other preys for anglers are the rudd (Scardin ius erythrophthalmus), called “scarva” in the local language,
and the bleak (Alburnus alburnus), called “aola”.
A school of rudds and a bleak
Angling on the Lago di Mezzo
Around the lakes live amphibians (frogs and tree frogs), reptiles (water snakes, innocuous to humans),
mollusks and crustaceans, the most famous of which is the Italian bee shrimp (Palaemonetes antennarius), a
small freshwater prawn called “saltare l” in the local language, often present in Mantuan frying pans.
“Saltarel” in nature and in the pan
The same destiny often befalls the common frog (Rana Esculenta).
Frog in nature, in rice, and fried
Due to the shortage of oxygen in the waters, some species are dwindling (pike and sunfish), while eels have
all but disappeared. But, even among fish and crustaceans, there also are the “new enemies”, recently
introduced by man, which are altering the environmental equilibrium of Italian waters.
One of these, another member of the UNESCO list, is the Danube sheatfish (Silurus Glanis), a catastrophic
example of environmental invasion, which has been menacing extinction for local species, mainly the pike
and the catfish, for the past 50 years. With no natural enemies, it feeds on fish of every size, but also on
frogs, birds, and small mammals. Also the Louisiana crawfish (Procambarus Clarckii), introduced into Italy
for the wuality of its meat, is the source of many ecological problems. A tireless predator, it is a dire menace
for fish and crustaceans.
Invaders: sheatfish and Louisiana crawfish
The clay of the Mincio
Clay manufacturing is an important chapter in the history of Mantova. The banks
of the lakes, but mostly those of the
Vallazza, are rich in a high-quality clay
(called “terra creta”), which was gathered
and worked locally. On the left bank of
the Mincio, south of the Vallazza, it is
possible to behold a XIX century
mansion, with a kiln still visib le by the
water: it is the ancient brickyard of the
Morselli, a family who, for generations,
produced bricks, mixing the clay by hand
and heating it in that very kiln.
Vallazza
The old Morselli brickyard
Besides making building materials , the
local artisans developed a rich artistic production of decorated objects (mainly dishes, jugs, and other table
ornaments). The technique called “ceramica graffita mantovana” (graffito ceramic), developed in the early
Renaissance, was almost abandoned for the high cost of manua l working: it remains alive thanks to a few
artisan shops, where small works of art are still made.
You start from clay, mixed with water and pressed into shape, which, once heated, would become red (like
bricks and roof tiles). In this technique, instead, it is covered with a coat of
“ingobbio”, a paste made with ground white soil, diluted in water. Once dry,
this ingobbio is worked with a bodkin , to create shapes and patterns. After a
first heating, the handicraft is colored: also these colors are made with ground
soil and water. The next step is glazing: the object is covered by dipping it
into a transparent paint, based in silica and lead. This coat, in a second heating
at 1000°, which takes about two days, must “glassify”, becoming bright and
compact, so as to highlight colors and to form a protective layer.
The “Ceramica” of Mantova
The Anconetta area, on Lago Inferiore, has always hosted brickyards and furnaces for
clay heating. One first cooperative, called “Società dei forni Hoffman”, was formed
in 1860, but went bankrupt in 1874. January 18, 1901 saw the birth of the “Società
Anonima Ceramica Mantovana”, which would find great success, not only locally: it
would open a branch in Alexandria , Egypt. Clay would arrive in Porto Catena from
Formigosa on barges called “bürc” (burchi, built in wood) or “gabarre” (built in
metal)., then was carried to the furnaces on wheelbarrows holding up to 150 kilos of
Burchio
material. The firm would later build a railway to help in transportation. Clay was
shaped by hand, then put in casts for heating in kilns. The “Ceramica” occupied a very large area (65000 mq)
which also swallowed some city streets, including the ancient Church of St.Martha, which had even been
used as a gunpowder deposit. Hosting 3 separate brickyards with 16 furnaces each, it was a staple of
Mantuan industry. By the 1960s, alas, the “Ceramica” was only a memory, its large buildings used as shops
and storages, then ending up in utter abandon.
Ruins of the old “Ceramica”
Factories of industrial Mantova
The eastern banks of Lago di Mezzo and Lago Inferiore saw the birth, after World War II, of enterprises
which marked the transformation from a mainly agricultural society to mass industrialization. In those years,
the industrial dream looked like having only the sky for a limit : later, hard times would follow, with
pollution, union fights and court cases, but several of these factories, sometimes with other brands, are still
present.
Belleli
This factory was founded in 1935, when two young artisans – Rodolfo Belleli and Amedeo Bisi – began to
build heating systems. In 1948 the two split up, when Rodolfo Belleli
decided to step up towards new industrial horizons : thus was born an
international giant, supplying nuclear power plants and oil rigs all
over the world. In the 80s and 90s, after Rodolfo Belleli had ceded
control to his sons, a series of wrong measures cast the group into a
profound crisis. Now, having entered the Exterran group, the factory
builds plants for oil treatment, energy production and fertilization.
Following a millennia l tradition, it still uses the Mincio as a
waterway, to carry handicraft weighing over 1000 tons to the
Adriatic sea.
Cartiera Burgo
Production began in 1902 with cellulose; in 1962, with the installation of a “continuous machine”, the
factory started the production of printing paper. The
placement in a scenic area called for great attention to
harmony and design: the project for the new building
(1962) was commissioned to the great Pietro Nervi. A
notable expression of industrial architecture, it is famous
for its distinctive shapes, built with catenaries and
suspension cables, and still attracts students and visitors
from everywhere. In later times, with the growth of
environmental awareness, the factory was included in the
system of “Parco del Mincio”. Besides its annual
production of about 150000 tons of paper, it works an
incinerator which, treating manufacture waste, produces
energy for the national network.
IES
This oil refinery was born as ICIP in 1946, on an initiative by
Count Carlo Perdomini. In 1953 it passed under the control of
the French firm OMNIUM (later inglobated in the Compagnie
Française des Petroles-CFP) which would use the trademarks
OZO, AQUILA, and TOTAL. In 1963, a pipeline was built,
carrying crude oil from Porto Marghera to Mantava, and in
1969 the refinery would be added with new plants, among
which those for the production of gasoline. In 1994 ICIP would
become IES (Italiana Energia e Servizi), entering the Hungarian
group MOL in 2007.
MONTEDISON / ENICHEM
In 1956, the firm “Edison” began building a new
petrochemical plant in Frassine. Initially, it produced
caustic soda, chlorine , and plastics, among which the
ubiquitous “isotactic polypropylene”, better known
with the registered trademark of Moplen®, whose
invention took a Nober prize for Chemistry to the
Italian Giulio Natta. Also this factory had to deal
with the environmental crisis , modernizing its
production and starting new systems with
proprietary technology. Now, under the brand of
Polimeri Europa , it has added services for the
production and distribution of energy.
ITAS
This factory, built in 1939, operates in the
field of steel wirings. The facility occupies an
area of 38.000 mq, and ITAS is thriving in
the production of steel for reinforced concrete
and springs (including the ones in our
mattresses), which it exports worldwide.
Pollution
Mantova is a place where water and air are heavily polluted, putting to risk the survival of wetlands, besides
carrying great dangers for the inhabitants. The blame is put, in part, on the dumps of the Lago di Garda, but
primarily on those of the local factories: one study, carried on by the national sanitation department around
the year 2000, detected, among the people who were living in a radius of 2 km from the incinerator (of the
then-called Enichem factory), percentages of sarcoma enormously superior to the
mean. For this and other tumors, such as lymphomas and leukaemia , the main
agents have been found to be chemicals like vinyl chloride, dioxin, asbestos,
benzene, and styrene, all present in the Mantuan waters. The poisoning of waters
and of the environment is the ghost that Mantova is facing after decades of
industrial dumps, with a heavy toll in human lives. Other studies have been done,
and to this day there are legal actions and trials still pending, trying to assess the
responsibility for those deaths. The “petrochemical affair” is far from over: in the
year 2010 it was still fought over in court, with another trial due in 2011.
And it does not stop here. The local newspapers and several Internet blogs, even
recently , carry worrisome news: in 2007 and in 2009, to name a few, there were
reports of foamy and smelly masses of water near the dump canal of the Burgo
paper factory. Still other times, there are reports of surreptitious dumps of waste and chemicals into the water
of the Mincio, and those voluntary associations which clean the banks of the lakes find, year in and year out,
quintals of debris.
Making judgements is problematic , and this study is not deep enough to allow it; besides, there already are
fierce legal battles over this issue. Whoever would like to make up his or her mind could take a stroll around
the lakes of Mantova. It is safe to assume, however, that many consider the environmental struggle as
belonging to the whole community, with echoes of political affairs and multi-million interests, in the effort
of saving the memory of the city of our ancestors, be they Etruscans, Gauls, or Lombards.
The difficult cohabitation of factories and water
Shades of old Mantova
Fossa Magistrale (residue of Lago Paiolo)
Porta Mulina with the covered road
Ponte dei M ulini and women washing clothes
Rio
Ancient Church of San Domenico
Scariolanti (wheelbarrow haulers)