Regional Park of Euganean Hills

A few kilometres from Padua, there is an area of great beauty and charm.  An area where man has lived for many many years, embellishing it with historical and cultural heritage that has been preserved today.  A unique environment, originally volcanic, that enjoys a particular climate and the presence of beneficial thermal springs.

This land has been celebrated by the great poets and writers, such as Petrarch, Ugo Foscolo, Gabriele d'Annunzio, Dino Buzzati, and Antonio Fogazzaro.

In order to protect this area, the "Regional Park of Colli Euganei" was established in October 1989, the first one in the Veneto region.  Over 18,000 hectares of luscious nature, relics of the past, traditions of hospitality, the healthfulness of spas, the richness of agriculture, and the typical products join together as an unrivalled unit.

From the Mediterranean expanse of exposed slopes, to the forests of chestnuts, oak trees and arid meadows in the south, where rare species of orchids can be found in seductive colours and shapes. On the hills there are a series of olive groves and vine terraces that form geometric patterns.
 
While the flora is fairly well preserved, the same cannot be said for the fauna, which is continuously depleting. Among the small insect-eating mammals, there is the hedgehog, mole, spider-mouse; and among the rodents, the dormouse.

The Park's area covers 15 boroughs that unite a rich historical, artistic, and cultural heritage in praise of the environment. The oldest remains date from the Palaeolithic era, but the medieval relics are just as important (with fortifications, parish churches, and courtyards) as well as those from the Renaissance (with the splendid homes built for Venetian nobles).