Just south of Padua, theland rises abruptly from the plains into the charming landscape of the EuganeanHills. These vine-clad hills with scattered villages make a delightful day tripfrom Venice or Asolo or Verona. Nestling in the foothills, the first stop willbe the Benedictine Abbey of Praglia. Dating back to the 11thcentury, the Abbey was extensively rebuilt at the end of the 15thcentury and has a series of quite stunning cloisters and the whole setting isbeautiful, with the backdrop of the hills. Without doubt though, the gem of theEuganean Hills has to be the medieval village of Arqua Petraca, named after thepoet Petrarch who was given a piece of land here and built a house which stillstands and can be visited. With narrow winding lanes, the whole village is adelight to wander around and makes a good lunch stop. Spend the rest of the dayat Monselice with its stunning medieval castle and quaint old houses. Thecastle was inherited by Count Vittorio Cini after the First World War and hespent a fortune restoring it to its medieval splendour, including appropriateperiod furniture and decoration.
