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Montagnana


Among the walled cities of the Veneto region, Montagnana is the one that has best known how to preserve its medieval walls. It is not only a "picturesque" town, but also a place where generations of enterprising and gifted men have left their original imprint from the 13th century until today. In addition to the extraordinary fortified complex, the city is appreciated for its urban fabric, made up of streets and buildings built in the Renaissance period and during the economic recovery of the 19th century.
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Montagnana   |
Montagnana
Montagnana   |
Montagnana
Montagnana   |
Montagnana
Montagnana   | Rsphotograph/shutterstock
Montagnana
Rsphotograph/shutterstock
Montagnana   | makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana
makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana   | makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana
makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana   | makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana
makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana   | makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana
makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana   | makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana
makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana   | makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana
makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana   |
Montagnana
Montagnana   | makalex69/shutterstock
Montagnana
makalex69/shutterstock
Out of Montagnana's walls  | Ivan Pisoni - e-borghi Community
Out of Montagnana's walls
Ivan Pisoni - e-borghi Community
Montagnana (Province of Padua). A glimpse of the city wall and the vale with autumn colors.  | Nicola Barbieri - e-borghi Community
Montagnana (Province of Padua). A glimpse of th...
Nicola Barbieri - e-borghi Community

About the village

The origins of Montagnana probably date back to the Roman Age, in a territory subject to frequent flooding and surrounded by the river Adige, up to the so-called Cucca road that changed the course of the river. The name derives from the toponym Motta Aeniana, in Medieval Latin Motta showed a small hill while aeniana a mansio. In addition to the extraordinary fortified complex, the city is appreciated for the urban fabric, made of streets and buildings that have arisen in the Renaissance period and during the economic recovery of the XIX century.

On the central square extends the Cathedral (1431-1502), from the imposing late-gothic style with Renaissance additions. Always on the square, overlooks the elegant palazzo Valeri and the old Monte di Pietà. In Via Matteotti stands the Palazzo Magnavin-Foratti, in a refined Venetian Gothic style, which is said to have been the residence of Jacopa, wife of the condottiere Erasmo from Narni, called the Gattamelata. In Via Carrarese is located the city hall, attributed to the architect veronese Michele Sanmicheli (1538). In Via Scaligera there is the church of the late-Romanesque church of San Francesco, with adjacent monastery of Poor Clares; in via San Benedetto overlooks the homonymous baroque church (in the course of restoration). Just outside of the village, close to Porta Padova, there is the villa Pisani, one of the masterpieces of Palladio. The most significant monuments, however, are constituted by the walls, from the fortress of the trees and the castle of San Zeno. The works of fortification high-medieval age, which are assumed to be strengthened in the X century in defense of the raids of the Hungarians. Montagnana is cited as castrum in a document of 996. The tower of the castle of San Zeno (today agibile fin on top) is assigned to him. The current walls, which constitute one of the examples the most celebrated and best preserved of medieval military architecture in Europe, except the complex of Castel San Zeno and the lengths of the boundary to the east and the West that are the oldest, dating back to the half of the Fourteenth Century. The fortified city is enclosed in an irregular quadrilateral dimensions of about 600x300 meters with an area of 24 hectares and a perimeter of about two kilometers. Inside of the fornix that govern the rampart walk were positioned warehouses (canipe) for the custody of the goods produced in the countryside (can still be noticed the notches to fix the plates in wood). Around the walls ran a wide moat (the current picturesque green and vallo) flooded with the water of the river Frassine (boundary toward the Vicentino) derived by means of a channel to a raised embankments (Fiumicello) having the function of a defensive vallo of welding along which, from the padovana, was a menagerie raised for the concentration of troops. All around the area were uncrossable marshes or districts that could be flood in case of war, so that the walled city was the key of the padovana frontier toward west. Access to the city was controlled by the fortified gates of the castle of San Zeno (to the east, toward Padova) and of the Fortress of trees (west, toward the veronese). Only later, in 1500, was opened to the north of a third gate (Porta Nova or Vicenza) to facilitate communication with the river port of Frassine. At the end of the Nineteenth Century a fourth passage was practiced toward the south, for access to the railway station (Porta XX Settembre). Since 1977, renewing a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, it runs every year in Vallo below the fortress of the Trees, the Palio of the 10 Montagnanese Municipality. It, thanks to the commemoration in costume of figures of medieval and renaissance and al Mercatino, attracts every year (1ª Sunday of September) numerous tourists.

Village of Montagnana
Municipality of Montagnana
Province of Padua
Veneto region

Population: 9.214 montagnanesi
Altitude Center: 16 m s.l.m.

The Municipality is part of:
I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Paesi bandiera arancione
Borghi e Castelli tra Padova e Verona
Piccole Città Storiche del Veneto

Acknowledgments
Orange Flag - Italian Touring Club
Spighe Verdi

Unesco site:
Vicenza e le Ville del Palladio nel Veneto - Villa Pisani

Municipality
Via Carrarese 14 - phone +39 0429-81247

= distances as the crow flies

BY CAR

  • Lower Padana Road SR n. 10 (which connects to the city with Venice (84 km), Padua (45 km) and Mantua (60 km).
  • On the highway, it can be reached via the A 13, Monselice exit.

ON THE TRAIN

  • Montagnana station
  • Weekly market: every Thursday;, in Via Matteotti, Via Carrarese, Via Marconi, Via Roma, Via San Benedetto, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II e in Piazza Trieste;
  • Antiques and Collectibles Market: takes place every third Sunday of the month, except July and August, in the beautiful setting of the historic center, even in bad weather.Al Mercatino you can find objects and antique furniture, but also other "vintage" and collectible material.
  • May - Feast of Montagnana sweet raw ham;
  • April - Montagnana Festival. In addition to the award of the "Sanmicheli" Award, it includes the organization of exhibitions and workshops dedicated to photography, sculpture and painting, concerts, guided tours, meetings and conferences;
  • Early October - Montagnanese in Fiera. Review of the agricultural and artisan world in which typical products, agricultural machinery and everything is exhibited; which is linked to local tradition;

Events

thursday
15
august, 2024

Santa Maria Assunta Patronal Festival

sunday
1
september, 2024

Palio of the 10 municipalities of Montagnanese

thursday
21
november, 2024

Feast of Our Lady of Health

Our news about Montagnana

Among the most beautiful walled villages in Italy, Montagnana is one of the pearls of the Padua lands. Built by Francesco il Vecchio da Carrara, between 1360 and 1362, is still an extraordinary village today. Twenty-four towers and four doors embellish the beautiful wall belt.
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After a 2017 has seen the growth of 7 per cent travel for tourism on regional trains of Trenitalia, this partnership was born with the aim of enhancing the great heritage of history, art, culture, environment and traditions present in the small centers of Italy reachable with the means of a transport more ecological, convenient, safe and, thanks also to the arrival of new trains, increasingly comfortable. Apart from the exchange of visibility on the channels of communication of the two realities, the agreemen...
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