Monselice is a town picturesquely situated in the Euganean Hills. It is dominated by a medieval castle, and in the vicinity you will find Renaissance and Baroque holiday villas.
The city was known already in antiquity. According to legends, they were founded by refugees from Troy. In Roman times there were trachite mines here, and the name of the city Mons Silicis meant the Quartzite Mountains. Monselice was reborn in the Middle Ages and was for some time an independent state. It sided with the empire during the battles with the papacy. During the conflict, Ezzelino III da Romano fortified the city and strengthened the Cini Castle, which is today the most important monument of Monselice.
The Old Town stretches below the castle on the top of the hill. Within it there are, among others the Romanesque Church of Santa Giustina and the Sanctuary of the Seven Churches, the interior of which is decorated with magnificent early Renaissance paintings. Monselice's main attractions are its Renaissance and Baroque villas surrounded by gardens. The most beautiful examples of such construction are Villa Nani and Villa Duodo.
