Padua: The Euganian Hills

Villa dei Vescovi

The Veneto is generally very flat, but the area to the southwest of Padua, the Euganian Hills, offers a bit more variety. Today's outing took us to three interesting places within this area. And on the way we paused at Battaglia Terme (one of the innumerable places claiming hot springs) to photograph two things we had noted on our trip to Montagnana a couple of days ago. The first was Castello Catajo ...

... and the second was the Ponte dei scaini, a Venetian-style bridge in the centre of the small town.

Our first main destination was Arqua Petrarca, once just plain Arqua, famous for being the final home of the great 14th century poet and humanist, Petrarch. Apart from being famous for his his own sonnets, Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is apparently often credited with initiating the Italian Renaissance. The pretty town climbs up a hill and is divided between the lower and upper sections. The first sights are the church and the Villa Contarini.

Reaching the upper area, the small pretty church has a lovely loggia attached to it.

Just beyond is Petrarch's house ...

 ... with lovely frescoes, added later, showing episodes in the great man's life. Here is a picture of him.

And here are a couple of the Euganian Hills seen from his window: Monte Castello to the left, Monte Cero to the right.

We went on the the Barbarigo Garden at Valsanzibio. This is the first thing you see from the road: the absolutely astonishing Doorway of Diana, which is right by the roadside.

Behind this lie two pools. Walking along the side of them brings you to large, the rather down-at-heel, house ...

... with formal gardens leading away from it.

Our third port of call was the Villa dei Vescovi, a quite beautiful early 16th century country house. This is the front gate ...

 ... and behind it the main facade of the house itself. Inside, as you would expect, there are frescoes, this time by the Flemish artist Lambert Sustris ...

... and these extend into the loggias on both sides with lovely views of the Euganian Hills.

Conditions: sunny and warm.

Rating: five stars