Loop of the walled towns.
Cycling along this 64-kilometer-long loop will bring you through picturesque countryside landscapes of the southern district of Padua, punctuated by walled towns and worship places. The itinerary includes some stretches of land and paved trails but with low traffic and often along rivers. The loop goes past the walled towns of Montagnana and Este, and with a little detour it joins the cycling route of the Colli Euganei (Euganean Hills) (E2), and can bring you to Monselice closing the tour of walled towns.
Setting off from Montagnana, you will soon be surrounded by fertile lands in the refreshing quiet of nature. Following the river Fratta, you will get to the former monastery of San Salvaro, which is reported in documents of the 12th century. The territory shows the marks of man’s work who has modeled the landscape since ancient times. It was adapted to its human needs to make it fit for living and farming drying wetlands and curbing rivers. The nineteenth-century draining pump Vampadore in Megliadino San Vitale and the old hydraulic intersection of the 16th-century bridge delle Tre Canne in Vighizzolo d’Este show the continuity of such important interventions to shape the environment over the years.
Among the main creators of land reclamation work and water curbing were the Venetians who made some grand works of hydraulic engineering and culture promoter through the building of magnificent buildings all over their domination time. The core of the huge farming estate of Venetian nobility in the mainland, the villas are the lasting legacy of such a great time. The are not only the center of the field work but also the driving force of a cultural message sent by the many clients and artists who designed them and embellished their inside adding sculptures and paintings.
Since the Middle Ages, even the monastic orders have contributed to reclaim land from waters to allow farming and becoming not only an cultural but also an economic landmark for all the territory, as it is shown by the Abbey of Santa Maria delle Carceri. Once you have passed the walled town of Este, you will go back on the bank of the river Frassine in Montagnana, enjoying the view of the unique shape of the Euganean and Berici hills on the background.
