Bassa Centrico Festival

A widespread festival between the Po River and Gonzaga Lands

The Bassa Centrico Festival was born in 2026 as a major widespread event designed to unite and showcase the eight municipalities of the Bassa Reggiana Union — Luzzara, Guastalla, Gualtieri, Boretto, Brescello, Poviglio, Novellara, and Reggiolo — on a single open-air stage. Promoted by local administrations together with the IAT Bassa Reggiana, the festival enhances the so-called Po River and Gonzaga Lands through guided tours, exhibitions, excursions, concerts, conferences, workshops, and food and wine experiences.

Poviglio and the Terramara Santa Rosa

In the Municipality of Poviglio, in the province of Reggio Emilia, the festival's stop is dedicated to one of the most important archaeological treasures in the entire Po Valley: the Terramara Santa Rosa. This is a large Bronze Age village, inhabited between the 16th and 12th centuries BC, now an archaeological area that can be visited and is explained in the nearby Terramara Museum, on Via G. Verdi. Much of the Poviglio program revolves around this site, which reconstructs the daily life, environment, and landscape of the ancient terramaricoli people.

Workshops, Tours, and Conferences

The highlight day in Poviglio is Saturday, May 30th, with a packed program of free admission. It starts in the morning with the educational workshop for children "Treasure Hunt: Guardians of the Sun and the Lost Pony," designed for the little ones, with snacks and a final prize. This is followed by a guided tour of the Terramara Museum, and in the afternoon, the conference "Animals, Humans, and Landscape. Life in the Terramara of Poviglio", an opportunity to discover how people lived in the Bassa thousands of years ago, with an aperitif offered at the end of the meeting.

Between Reforested Quarries, Music, and the River

The festival continues on Sunday, May 31st, with a guided tour of the Ex Cave Corazza, former excavation sites that have become a natural oasis of water and reeds, and with the concert "Music Around the River" in the evocative church of Casalpò. The day concludes with a new opening of the Terramara Museum and a convivial aperitif, in a continuous blend of nature, history, and music typical of the Po River and Gonzaga Lands.

Republic Day in the Historic Center

The most popular and festive moment is on Monday, June 1st, when the historic center of Poviglio comes alive, starting at 6:00 PM, with the celebrations for Republic Day: music, shows, good food, and lots of people in the streets, in an evening designed for families, young people, and the entire Poviglio community.

Who is it for?

This event is suitable for families with children, enthusiasts of archaeology and ancient history, lovers of nature and music, and anyone who wants to discover an authentic corner of Emilia-Romagna away from the most beaten tourist routes. Many activities are free and require booking: a way to experience the territory at the slow pace of the great river and its lands.