Ostiglia Italy
59
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
CroisiEurope (59 Cruises)
MS Michelangelo
59 Cruises
| 26 August | 6 days | One-way from Venice to Mantua |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 26 August | 7 days | One-way from Venice to Mantua |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 27 March | 7 days | One-way from Venice to Mantua |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 27 March | 6 days | One-way from Venice to Mantua |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 28 August | 7 days | One-way from Venice to Mantua |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 28 August | 6 days | One-way from Venice to Mantua |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
Frequently Asked Questions
At a modest river quay on the Po, right on the edge of town. Ostiglia is a river cruise call, not a seaport: you step ashore at the foot of poplar-lined dikes, a few minutes from the centre.
Yes, entirely. The old core takes about an hour at an unhurried pace: the arcaded square, the parish church, the pink brick palaces and the shops along the main street.
Most passengers head for Mantua, about 30 km away. If you stay put, allow an hour for the town and its civic museum, then spend the rest at the Paludi di Ostiglia nature reserve and its birdwatching hides.
Yes — it is the reason most itineraries stop here. The Gonzaga city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, offers the Palazzo Ducale with Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi, the Palazzo Te with Giulio Romano's frescoes, and a chain of medieval squares. Half a day goes by very quickly.
A protected wetland reserve on the edge of town, extending the Busatello oasis. Reed beds, canals and flooded meadows host around 175 bird species, from bittern to purple heron. Boardwalks and hides make for a quiet walk with binoculars.
Few monuments, but a genuine past. Ostiglia is the Roman Hostilia, a river port on the route between Verona and the delta; the small civic museum holds the remains. It is also where Arnoldo Mondadori founded in 1907 what became Italy's largest publishing house. If you want masterpieces, go to Mantua.
The euro. Cards work in most shops, but a town this size still has cafés and vendors who prefer cash. Keep a few notes on hand.
Italian, with a Lombard dialect among locals. English is not widely spoken outside organized tours: excursion guides handle translation, but in town shops expect gestures and goodwill.
April to June and September to October. Spring and autumn suit birdwatching in the marshes best, and the Po plain turns heavy and humid at the height of summer. Autumn morning mist gives the landscape its finest look.
River-country cooking, generous and unfussy: tortelli di zucca (pumpkin ravioli with a sweet-savoury note), risotto alla pilota made with vialone nano rice, braised meats, and sbrisolona cake that crumbles in your fingers. Light, faintly sparkling Mantuan Lambrusco goes with all of it.
