The Villas and Castles around Padua

If you are in Padua it is good to know that just outside the city you can start to see dream villas and castles, among fairy woods and manicured gardens, where you can spend a different Sunday than usual.

Crossing the thresholds of these buildings will be a bit like entering a parallel world in which to get lost in the imagination.

Monselice Castle

Within the municipality of Monselice, there is the fortress of Monselice, an illustrious monument of the city which today is a prestigious museum. The complex consists of a Romanesque house, the oldest part together with the Castelletto, the Ezzeliniana Tower, a defensive building commissioned by Ezzelino III da Romano.

Este Castle

The Carrarese castle of Este was built around 1300 at the behest of the lord of Padua Ubertino da Carrara. Today the Castle is impressive because of its medieval architecture and for having remained intact for over two centuries until it was bought by a Venetian family and today houses the National Atestino Museum.

The outdoor garden was instead built in the eighteenth century, as the fashion of the time wanted. The purpose of the castle was of a defensive type and today it is one of the main attractions in the surroundings of Padua.

Villa of the Bishops

Always among the wonders of the Euganean Hills, precisely in Torreglia, in the Luvigliano, the Villa dei Vescovi stands out because it is inspired by the Renaissance style and the more classical themes.

Here it is possible to experience a fusion between art and nature: the internal loggias are frescoed by the Flemish painter Lambert Sustris while the external interventions are due to Giulio Romano who has given a refined game of architecture, humanist culture, and landscape.

Villa Barbarigo

You can find this villa by taking the direction towards Valsanzibio di Galzignano Terme.

Villa Barbarigo has also been defined as "the Little Versailles of the Euganean Hills" and today, even if it is not open to the public, it is possible to visit the garden and the external environments without being disappointed.

In fact, the monumental garden covers 15 hectares of land and is decorated with statues, fountains, arches, and symbols. Inside it is in fact necessary to follow a path of purification that starts from the Portal of Diana until arriving in front of the villa at the Piazzale delle Rivelazioni, letting yourself be guided by the flow of water. Here you will find labyrinths, islands, and caves along with impressive allegorical monuments.

Catajo Castle

It is one of the most fascinating historic homes not only in Italy but also in Europe. Always located in the Euganean Hills, the Catajo castle boasts 40 hectares of land and 350 rooms and is located in the splendid countryside of Battaglia Terme, a place known for its sulfurous waters.

It was built in the sixteenth century as a ducal palace of the Habsburg-d'Este and the emperors exploited this building as a holiday destination, enriching its rooms and prestige.