The Euganean Hills Loop, between Spas and Abbeys

The Euganean Hills have one flaw, in the eyes of mass tourism: they are too close to Venice and Padua to be a destination in themselves. Almost everyone drives past them on the motorway without stopping, heading for the lagoons and the museums. And yet this group of hills, isolated in the middle of the plain and volcanic in origin, is one of the softest and most intimate landscapes in the Veneto, where abbeys, villas and vineyards coexist with woods and thermal springs.

Spas and villages

A good starting point is Abano and Montegrotto Terme, the thermal heart of the area, frequented more for wellness than for the scenery. The Romans already knew and exploited these hot waters, and even today the spa resorts draw visitors who often have no idea how much nature and history lie just steps from the pools. From here you move on to Arquà Petrarca, the village where the poet Francesco Petrarca spent his final years and where his house can still be visited. Arquà is a perfectly preserved stone hamlet, famous too for its jujube trees, and it deserves a slow stop among its climbing lanes.

Abbeys and castles

Carrying on, you reach the Monastery of San Daniele and, above all, the Abbey of Praglia, a great Benedictine complex still inhabited by monks, known for their restoration of ancient books and for the produce of their vegetable garden and herbalist's shop. Not far off is the Sanctuary of Monteortone, linked to the waters, and to the north the hill of Monselice with its Way of the Seven Churches and its Castle. To the south, Este preserves its walls, a castle and a fine national archaeological museum that tells the story of the ancient Veneti civilisation.

Those who walk can climb Monte Venda, the highest peak of the Hills, where among the woods survive the ruins of a hermitage and an ancient monastery. Numerous marked trails cross the Euganean Hills Regional Park, which protects the entire area, and link the villages among vineyards of Fior d'Arancio and meadows. It is a loop that can be walked over several days, cycled along the bike routes that circle the hills, or driven, hopping from one village to the next.

How to get there

To get there, the natural base is Padua, well connected by train with the whole of the Veneto. From Padua you reach Abano, Montegrotto, Monselice and Este within a few kilometres, all served too by rail or local buses. To really move among the hills, however, a car or a bicycle remains the most convenient solution, because the inland villages and the abbeys are not all reachable by public transport.

When to go

The best time is precisely that of the shoulder seasons. In spring, between March and April, the vineyards bud, the jujubes are not yet ripe but the almonds and cherries blossom, and the days are cool and clear. In October come the grape harvest, the warm colours of the woods and the jujube season in Arquà. These are months when the spas are working but the hills stay empty, far from the summer heat of the plain and from the throng that in high season floods Venice, just a step away. You walk for hours meeting more herons than people.

A practical tip: organise your tour around the opening hours of the abbeys and monasteries, which have limited access and moments of silence to be respected, and always check in advance the visiting days of Praglia and Petrarch's House. Bring hiking shoes even if you plan to move by car, because the climbs to the hills and hermitages are short but steep and on uneven ground. And leave room in your suitcase for a bottle of Fior d'Arancio and for the monks' herbs: they are the most sincere way to take the Euganean Hills home with you.

Practical guides for Como

• Where to stay in Como
• What to see in Como in 2 days
• Where to eat in Como
• How to get to Como