#5: [24-May-08]

#2: [17-Mar-02]

#1: [08-Oct-01]

#3: [07-Aug-01]

#6: [29-Dec-10]

01-May-2008 -- This is the fourth out of 7 confluence points that we visited during a week-end trip to Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. Story starts from 45°N 9°E.

Coming from 45°N 11°E we had to stay all the way on county roads. It took us 2 hours to get here – this time Elionora was driving. For the final approach we took county road SP33 and turned northwards into Via Peschiera at about 2 km distance from the confluence. At a distance of 230 m we parked our vehicle next to a group of decayed farmhouses.

In order to avoid crossing the fields, we reached the confluence on a zig-zag course on foot. The last little challenge was a 2 m deep ditch with some water in it just 50 m from the exact confluence location. I tried to cross it on a pipe – but when I was in the middle of crossing it, I realised that it was slippery. I couldn’t return because turning around wouldn’t be easy to keep balance. So, I tried to continue but I had to step over a water-tap with sprinkling water and a thorny hedge. When I finally successfully had crossed the ditch, Eleonora was waiting for me already – she had simply taken a way around the ditch.

In the fields we recognised some little oasis in the otherwise dry fields. It turned out that this is a water access point for irrigation. On our way back we had a closer look at the decayed farmhouses. Obviously, the rationalisation has lead to a few numbers of farmers remaining active.

In order to reach two more confluences this day, we took off towards north-east. The next confluence further east on the 45°-line would have been in the Adriatic Sea. Therefore we opted to switch over to the 46th parallel for a while.

CP visit details:

• Time at the CP: 1:53 pm
• Driving time: 2 hours 3 min
• Driving distance: 103 km
• Hiking time: 16 min
• Hiking distance: 200 m (beeline)
• Distance to a road: 230 m
• Distance to a track: 230 m
• Distance to houses: 270 m
• Topography: flat, in the river delta of Po River
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy at the CP: 3 m
• GPS height: -8 m
• Vegetation: dry field with desiccation cracks, no vegetation. Some grass in a nearby ditch
• Weather: fair, 27° C (felt temperature)
• Description of the CP: In the northern part of Italy, Province of Rovigo in the region Veneto. 3km north of River Po. Farmland with water access points for irrigation. Some abandoned farms nearby.
• Given Name: The Irrigation Point Confluence

Story continues at 46°N 13°E.