Ostricando 2026 makes the news: over 500 riders and a Po Delta that won't give in to the blue crab
Over 500 riders, fully booked and two press articles within a single day: the third edition tells the story of a Delta growing as a destination, starting from the lagoon.
On 26 October 2026 QN Itinerari, the travel channel of the group that publishes Il Resto del Carlino, La Nazione and Il Giorno, published an extensive report by Monica Guzzi on the «guardians» of the Po Delta: fishermen and shellfish farmers who, between the Sacca di Goro and the Sacca degli Scardovari, defend clams, oysters and mussels from the blue crab every day. Ostricando is among the stories collected. In the same days La Voce di Rovigo dedicated a piece by Leandro Maggi to the event, retracing its history and its numbers.
Ostricando 2026: fully booked
On Sunday 25 October the third edition set off from the Pila fish market, in Porto Tolle, and ended with the tasting prepared together with the Pila fishermen. Over 500 riders filled all places just one month after registration opened. The Sacca route (60 km) loops around the Sacca degli Scardovari; the Levante route (90 km) goes beyond the lagoon as far as Porto Levante. At the finish in Pila, Sebastiano Bruschi talked about the event on Delta Radio.
Three editions, one network
Ostricando was born three years ago from the collaboration with Bottega Bike, run by Fabio d'Imperio, creator of the Gravel del Delta del Po, who joined the Consorzio Delta Pool Service. The first edition started from Ca' Vendramin, home of the Land Reclamation Museum. In 2025 the route linked Veneto and Emilia-Romagna: start from San Basilio in Ariano nel Polesine, passing through Scardovari and over two pontoon bridges, to the Castello della Mesola and Ariano Ferrarese. In 2026 the finish was in Pila, inside the Pila Fishermen's Cooperative, where volunteers welcomed the riders and prepared tastings starring the oyster. A team effort with Bottega Bike, Delta Pool Service, Cooperativa OP Pescatori di Pila and Punto Ceramika.
The blue crab and those who won't give in
Having reached the Adriatic in the ballast water of large ships, the blue crab found the clam beds an undefended larder. According to the QN report, in the province of Rovigo the number of fishermen has fallen from about 1,500 to fewer than 900. Those who stayed changed their methods: in Goro and Gorino the beds have been raised and closed with very fine-mesh nets; in Scardovari oysters grow in baskets and floating systems that are turned periodically or that simulate the tides, where the predator cannot get in. And the Scardovari mussel, the lagoon's first PDO, remains the symbol of a quality born where the fresh water of the Po meets the sea.
From boat to table: fishing tourism
Ostricando is proof that this hard work can also become hospitality. In the QN report Sebastiano Bruschi, vice-president of the Consorzio Delta Pool Service and of the destination consortium «Po e il suo Delta», explains the idea behind the project: offering visitors «a short-supply-chain experience», made of boat trips with tastings, aperitifs and beach walks, fishing and the restoration of the cavane, the fishermen's stilt huts typical of Scardovari. An idea that links the Po Delta Regional Park with the area's hotels and B&Bs, and looks to network with Comacchio, the Lidi Ferraresi, Rosolina and Chioggia.
The next step: more days, boat and bike
The goal for the next editions is to turn Ostricando into a multi-day event, from Friday to Sunday, with gravel routes combined with river navigation: the boat and bike formula. The Delta has the space and landscapes to do it, and a community of fishermen and operators ready to tell its story.
Experience the Delta from Porto Tolle
If you want to see the lagoons described in the press up close, Porto Tolle is the natural starting point: stay at Albergo Italia or Alloggi Centrale, eat lagoon fish at RistòItalia and head out by boat with Delta Escursioni. The dates of the next Ostricando edition will be published on ostricando.it.
Sources
- M. Guzzi, «I custodi del Delta del Po e la grande sfida al granchio blu», QN Itinerari, 26/10/2026
- L. Maggi, «Ostricando, la festa del gravel e della perla del Delta. È un altro, clamoroso sold out», La Voce di Rovigo – Polesine24.it, 25/10/2026
QN Itinerari — I custodi del Delta del Po e la grande sfida al granchio blu
Frequently asked questions
- What is Ostricando?
- A non-competitive gravel ride in the Po Delta starting from the Pila fish market (Porto Tolle, RO), with a final tasting of lagoon produce. The third edition took place on 25 October 2026, with over 500 riders and two routes: the Sacca route (60 km) and the Levante route (90 km).
- Who organises Ostricando?
- Bottega Bike and the Consorzio Delta Pool Service, with the Cooperativa OP Pescatori di Pila and Punto Ceramika.
- Why is the blue crab a problem in the Po Delta?
- It is an alien species that preys on clams and other shellfish farmed in the lagoons: it has forced fishermen to protect their beds with nets, sheeting and raised seabeds.
- Where are Po Delta oysters farmed?
- Mainly in the Sacca degli Scardovari, in Porto Tolle, using basket systems and installations that reproduce the tides.
- Is the Scardovari mussel PDO?
- Yes, it is the lagoon's first PDO; the fresh product is harvested between spring and early summer.
- What are cavane?
- The fishermen's stilt huts on the lagoon, used for the first processing of the catch and today also for fishing-tourism experiences.
