Amidst the wide flat plain and in the distance the rounded profiles of the Euganean and Berici Hills, the view of Montagnana is an extraordinary sight with its grandiose walls almost two kilometres long.
Among the fortified towns of the Veneto region, it is the one that has best preserved its crenellated Guelph walls. Surrounded by a meadow moat, interspersed with 24 towers, the imposing ring was built by the Carraresi on previous fortifications.
But there is still much to see in this town that belongs to the Club of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy. For example, Villa Pisani, a residence built around 1550 to a design by Palladio, which differs from the typical country villa in that it is located in the historic centre. Other Venetian jewels include the 18th-century Monte di Pietà, the elegant Palazzo Valeri flanked by a palace with two splendid corolla chimneys. The nineteenth-century Palazzo della Loggia, the Renaissance Palazzo Santini, and the fifteenth-century Palazzo Pomello-Chinaglia also overlook the square, while where a tenth-century church once stood now shines the cathedral dedicated to S. Maria Assunta, which boasts an altarpiece by Paolo Veronese.
Other prestigious residences include the imposing Palazzo Sanmicheli – now the seat of the City Hall – and the Magnavin-Foratti Palace, in Venetian Gothic style.
After so much art and culture, don’t miss a taste of the famous Prosciutto Veneto Euganeo Berico DOP: very sweet, with a delicate aroma and a soft pink colour that distinguishes it from all others, still processed according to traditional artisan methods.
Source: www.veneto.eu
