The river Tergola

A watercourse and its meaning for local populations

The river Tergola

Since the origins of Man, the history of a territory has been closely linked to the presence of waterways.
The development of agriculture, of inhabited centers, of multiple human activities, depended on the presence of rivers, on their regulation, on floods and on the rules that man established from time to time for the use of their waters for economic purposes.

The Tergola river, also called "la Tergola", is a resurgence river that has its origins in the Onara Marsh, a highly valuable naturalistic area located in the municipality of Tombolo (PD). From here the river flows for about 40 km in a south-eastern direction, dividing into two branches near Sant'Andrea di Campodarsego, and rejoining in a single course between Pionca and Peraga. After Vigonza the waters flow into an artificial riverbed (Veraro drain) which flows into the Naviglio del Brenta near Strà.

What we see nowadays along the park of Villa Selvatico, in its stretch from Sant'Andrea to Pionca, is a placid river that flows between high and solid almost straight banks, surrounded by well-kept countryside. But it wasn't always like this.

We must imagine that since ancient times the course of this river was much more sinuous, characterized by wide curves and flanked by woods and marshy and meadow areas, where the river could expand freely during times of flood due to rain. This can be deduced from ancient drawings found in the State archives, and is for example still very evident in the Kriegskarte designed by the Austrians (1798-1805).

In this cartography, right at Villa Selvatico, you can see large areas colored green which signify the presence of wetlands due to the proximity of the river, which could have been dedicated to grazing animals or collecting wood and reed used for construction.

Starting from the Middle Ages and in particular after the year 1000, hydraulic mills spread along the Tergola, favored by the constant and calm flow of this river. They reached their maximum development in the Venetian age, thanks to the supervision and rigorous regulation imposed by the Serenissima and the new development of agriculture. The mills become even more than in the past, economic and commercial centers for the entire surrounding area.

Following the industrial development of the last century, these buildings lose their function and are sometimes completely abandoned, falling into ruin. However, near Villa Selvatico we can still observe three of them: the Sant'Andrea mill near the parish church, now transformed into an agricultural shop, the Quattro Ca' mill now called Casa Rossa, along the embankment not far from the villa, and the Codiverno mill, now the Santon mill, still active in the production of flour and as an agricultural shop.

Furthermore, the river has played for centuries and still has a fundamental importance for the irrigation of agricultural crops in this area. Also thanks to the widespread secondary canalization, largely dating back to the Roman Centuriation, the water derived from the Tergola can be used for irrigation purposes on a large surface area surrounding the two banks of the river, thus allowing flourishing agriculture.

The stories of the elderly also allow us to know that until the 50s of the last century, the Tergola was the place of many other activities for the inhabitants of the villages along its course, thanks to the fact that it was considered a river with very clean waters: fishing was practiced as it was rich in various species of fish, laundry was done along its banks, and it was used for recreational purposes, such as boating and swimming...

Obviously these uses no longer exist due to the change in society's habits, but in recent years an important recreational use has been recovered for the inhabitants and tourists, creating the cycle/pedestrian path that runs along its banks.