If you are passionate about art, among the experiences to enjoy in Padua and its surroundings, you can marvel at the hidden beauties of the Euganean Hills. Just a 20-minute drive from Padua, this area was chosen in the Middle Ages and later by many Venetian patricians for the construction of defensive sites and sumptuous residences, the latter being oases of tranquility but at the same time expressions of the economic power of the families who owned them. Here, hidden among the rolling hills, are numerous castles, gardens, and Venetian villas in perfect condition, which contain wonders unknown to most. Let us guide you on a discovery of two wonderful places: the Garden of Valsanzibio and Villa dei Vescovi.

Winner of the Most Beautiful Park in Italy award, the Monumental Garden of Valsanzibio was designed in the 17th century by architect and fountain designer Luigi Bernini and is considered the most significant example of a symbolic garden of the 17th century. Here, water features, tree-lined avenues, fountains, an intricate maze, and statues come together harmoniously in an allegorical journey of “Salvation” along which visitors, passing through various stages, from the Portal of Diana to the Statue of Winged Time to the Fountain of the Dolphins, are guided in the symbolic liberation from sin.

Once the holiday residence of Padua’s high prelates, Villa dei Vescovi dates back to the first half of the 16th century and features noble rooms: bedrooms, sitting rooms, and halls frescoed with bucolic motifs by Lambert Sustris. Admire the profile of the Euganean Hills through the large arches of the loggias and the hanging courtyard and let yourself be enchanted by the harmony between the paintings and the landscape.

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