Villas and Castles

In the area of the Euganean Hills, it is also possible to admire castles and famous Venetian villas that show the luxury and power of this land’s most important families who lived here.

Villa Beatrice d’Este – Baone: in the beginning, it was a convent that hosted Beatrice, the member of the Este family who was beatified. Recently, the building is the seat of an interesting Naturalistic Museum.

Villa Duodo – Monselice: completed in two centuries, this villa can be reached through the picturesque road of the seven Churches, a votive pathway completed by reaching St. George’s.

Villa Barbarigo-Valsanzibio – Galzignano Terme: the beautiful Italian-style gardens are particularly interesting with their imposing entrance named “Diane’s bath.” Within the gardens, there is a maze of box trees, the little wood that hosts the statue of Chronos and the small isle of rabbits.

Villa Dei Vescovi -Luvigliano di Torreglia: completed in the 16^th century, this complex is characterized by a series of large opened loggias. Crossed by the sun rays, they create special light effects that are projected on the walls.

Villa Papafava – Frassanelle – Rovolon: a nineteenth century reconstruction of a pre-existing building, the Villa inspired the literary genius of Fogazzaro. It is situated in the centre of a wooded area where there are artificial caves and waterworks.

Villa Emo Capodilista – Montecchia di Selvazzano: from the top of a hill, this villa dominates the surrounding landscape. The original square plant is made more precious by large galleries containing frescoes.

Castello del Catajo – Battaglia Terme: despite being built in the 16^th century, this Castle looks like a medieval fortress. Inside, there are 350 rooms and the noble floor was painted by Zelotti, a student of Veronese.

Castello Carrarese di Valbona – Lozzo Atestino: perfectly preserved, the castle was a part of the fortification that had to defend the western boundary of the area controlled by Padua.

Castello di Monselice: in the beginning it was mainly used as a fortress. Later, it was turned into a residence of Ezzelino III and was further modified by the Carraresi family, who created beautiful rooms and a number of 14^th century fireplaces.

Castello di San Martino della Vaneza – Cervarese S. Croce: built to defend the bank of the Bacchiglione River, it was delivered from the town of Padua to the Carraresi family in order to take care of the protection of the Padua territory.

Este Castle: only this castle’s the surrounding walls remain, but we can understand the original size of the castle, which was built by Ubertino da Carrara in the 14^th century.