Nearby

ABANO TERME

Cathedral of San Lorenzo, dating back to 1200 A.D., with a bell tower and a beautiful organ inside;
Villa Bassi Ratgheb Museum. A beautiful Venetian villa, now a Municipal Museum. It periodically hosts exhibitions and events;
Piazza della Meridiana (or Piazza del Sole e delle Pace), completed in 1966, is a beautiful work with marbles of various colours;
Colle del Montirone: once a thermal spring; today it is a public park with statues and Doric elements; as evidence of its origin and its primary function as a thermal spring, there are still 5 stone basins with thermal water at 70 degrees;
Parco Urbano Termale, a large green area designed by the architect Paolo Portoghesi, with cycle paths, children’s playgrounds, benches, avenues, trees and shops of all kinds. At Christmas there is the traditional market, in May the beautiful parade of the “Maschera alle Terme” (mask at the spa), in spring there are events linked to health, herbs and aromatic plants, and sport.

Villa Vescovi (8 km): in Luvigliano di Torreglia stands this splendid villa, a heritage site of the Fondo per l’Ambiente italiano; a beautiful example of a 16th century villa, in classical style, where men of letters and exponents of the culture of the time would retire and relax. On summer weekends and during holidays, events and tastings are organised in the frescoed rooms, on the beautiful panoramic terrace and in the cafeteria.
Padua (12 km): Basilica di Sant’Antonio (with sculptures by Donatello) and Cappella degli Scrovegni (candidate for Unesco World Heritage Site) with Giotto’s beautiful frescoes.
Arquà Petrarca (18 km): at the foot of Monte Piccolo and Monte Ventolone, and a Unesco World Heritage Site, it houses the house where Francesco Petrarca died; the second most beautiful village in Italy, open from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 15.00 to 19.00 (March/October), from 9.00 to 12.00 and from 14.30 to 17.30 (November/February); always closed on weekdays, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and May Day;
Battaglia Terme and the Catajo Castle (10 km): considered the “Palace of the Euganean Hills”, it is open to the public to visit its 350 frescoed rooms and to take part in tastings of local wines on the splendid terrace; from here you can also enjoy the view of the large park;
Valsanzibio di Galzignano Terme, with Villa Barbarigo (13 km) and its 17th-century Italian-style garden, one of the few remaining in Italy, with 70 statues and no fewer than 16 fountains, an intriguing maze of boxwood, ponds and water features;
Santuario di Monteortone (3 km): a place of silent religiousness, peace and quiet, surrounded by works by extraordinary artists, such as Jacopo da Montagnana, and lots of greenery;
Montagnana (50 km): a medieval town where the Palio dei 10 Comuni (between the end of August and the beginning of September) and the Festa del Prosciutto (in May) take place;
Monselice (19 km): chess is played with living pawns, archers and drummers challenge each other and ancient crafts are re-enacted during the “Giostra della Rocca” (in September);
Este (35 km): in Piazza Maggiore, the best flag-throwers in Italy meet (in July) while in April the historic centre is filled with stalls, colours and scents, with the beautiful event “Este in Fiore”.

Splendid panoramas

Salto della Volpe (15 km), on Monte della Madonna;
Pianoro del Mottolone (20 km), near Arquà Petrarca;
Monte Venda (16 km), with its “natural amphitheatre” at 600 m above sea level;
Buso dei Briganti (20 km), legend has it that a bandit and his wife “retreated” here after a battle in the square of Este.

For children

Le Fiorine Adventure Park in Teolo (15 km), with trails of various levels, to be tackled in total safety;
Valcorba Park in Pozzonovo (40 km), where you can admire animals such as the giraffe, hippopotamus and lion, and other endangered species such as the tiger;
Casa delle Farfalle e il Bosco delle Fate (Butterfly House and Fairy Wood), inside the Butterly Arc of Montegrotto Terme (4 km), where you can admire rare specimens of butterflies from the Amazon, African and Asian regions, and large tropical insects, up close;
Castello di San Pelagio with the Museo del Volo (10 km), a beautiful park with a 1200 m2 green labyrinth and thousands of roses;
Esapolis (8 km), one of the largest insectaria in Italy, where you can see and learn about spiders, scorpions, bees and many other insects up close (also through educational workshops).

Distances to the main cities:
Padua 12 km away
Vicenza 50 km away
Venice 53 km away
Ferrara 77 km away
Verona 95 km away