Villa Selvatico Giardino Termale

The Selvatico Miola estate extends over the area that was once the Valley and the Hill of Sant'Elena, the latter also known as "Stufa hill" due to the presence of a sweating cave, which historical sources recall having been frequented since the early Middle Ages to cure and relieve pains thanks to the heat and properties of the thermal waters that spring forth here spontaneously. The Sant'Elena cave can be considered the archetype of modern spa facilities: in the past, it was well known both by locals and travelers. It was also frequented by illustrious figures such as the poet Francesco Petrarca, Duke Francesco III of Modena, philosopher Michel de Montaigne, French writer Stendhal, and German poet Heinrich Heine.

In medieval times, the estate belonged to the Carraresi and Dalesmanini families, and was then purchased in the second half of the 16th century by Luigi Selvatico, archdeacon of the cathedral of Padua, who celebrated the first Mass in the reconstructed Oratory of the Hospice of S. Eliseo in 1596. The hill and estate then passed to Marquis Bartolomeo Selvatico, who began the construction of the villa in 1593, which was completed in 1647 by the illustrious physician Benedetto Selvatico.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Padua architect Giuseppe Jappelli was commissioned to design the conversion of the Italian garden into a romantic park, following the "English" style. It became a masterpiece, perfectly preserved today. In fact, this historical garden has the rare feature of featuring various thermal ponds, which, thanks to the vapors of the thermal water, create a magical atmosphere that has inspired historical analogies for centuries from the Aeneid to the Divine Comedy.

The walk, amidst woods and ponds, leads to the foot of the Hill of Sant'Elena where the villa is located. To reach it, a long staircase of 144 steps in Euganean trachyte was erected.

An exciting walk "from the Dark Forest to Paradise," a metaphorical path that starts off darker and shadier, then, with the final effort of the staircase, one arrives up high, at the villa, a paradisiacal destination.

And yet, invaluable beauty for the eyes, both inside the villa, with large frescoed halls, and outside, where from the terraces one can admire a spectacular panoramic view of 360 degrees of the surrounding Euganean Hills.

Inside, a gallery has been created that gives the visitor a brief walk through the geology of the Euganean Hills. Walking in the park, near the Villa, one encounters the ancient Oratory of Sant'Elena, one of the earliest testimonies of religious architecture in the area, whose 17th-century structure is accompanied by a crypt dating back to the 1100s.