Monselice
After walking among hills and vineyards, we decided to visit Monselice. This city situated on the southern slope of the Euganei Hills and it is known for the production of vegetables, cereals and above all wine grapes (Merlot and Friularo, for those in the know).
We walked to Piazza Mazzini. Here is present the civic tower, built for defensive purposes in 1244. Until the sixteenth century housed the caretaker’s cottage which had the task of loading the clock on the tower and ring the bell.
The Palace and the Loggia del Monte di Pietà, built in ‘400, that now houses the office of tourist accommodation and the city’s library.
Monselice’s castle consists of a complex of buildings (four) and a fortress built in the Middle Ages.
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A very important religious monument in the city is the Antica Pieve di Santa Giustina (Old Parish Church of Santa Giustina), built in 1256 in the late Romanesque style with Gothic decorative elements.
Proseguendo la passeggiata, si trova poi la Porta Romana che dà accesso all’area sacra del Santuario Giubilare delle Sette Chiese. A seguire l’esedra di San Francesco Saverio con una bellissima scalinata seicentesca e accanto Villa Duodo (visitabile solo esternamente), costruita in due diversi momenti : la parte laterale a destra risale agli inizi del ‘600, mentre la parte frontale è stata aggiunta nel 1740.
Porta Romana gives access to the sacred area of the Santuario Giubilare delle Sette Chiese (Jubilee Sanctuary of the Seven Churches). Following the por esedra San Francesco Saviero (St. Francis Xavier) with a beautiful seventeenth-century staircase and next to Villa Duodo (visited only externally), built at two different times: the side on the right dates from the early ‘600, while the front was added in 1740.
So ends our trip in this pleasant autumn day.
See you soon!
Cinzia
USEFUL INFORMATION
- All about the visit of the castle (timetables and prices) can be found here: castellodimonselice