Ruderi Castello di Speronella

The ruins of the Castle of Speronella are located at the top of Rocca Pendice in the Teolo area, at an altitude of about 300 meters above sea level, overlooking the nearby hills and valleys below. It is the fortification that maintained its military function the longest on the Euganean Hills. It can be reached by taking the road to Castelnuovo, following a path that starts from the sixth hairpin bend and leads to the ruins through a picturesque route in the woods.
The exact origins of the castle are unknown; the first documents confirming its presence indicate that in the 11th century it belonged to the Bishop of Padua, who had to cede it to Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1161. The emperor was forced to return it to the bishop of Padua in 1177. During this phase of struggles between ecclesiastical and imperial power, the legend of Speronella is situated, which tells the story of a maiden named Speronella Dalesmanini, who was kidnapped and locked in the castle on Mount Pendice by the imperial vicar Pagano, who had fallen in love with her. The people of Padua, spurred on by the girl's father and fiancé, staged a revolt to free her and defeated the oppressor of Padua. In reality, the legends surrounding Speronella are various and not all have a happy ending, which is why over the centuries a halo of mystery has surrounded the place.
Of uncertain origins, the fortification whose remains are still visible today at the top of Rocca Pendice is the one that maintained its military function the longest. Around the mid-12th century, the Bishop of Padua ceded the structure to Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who, however, returned it to the bishop of Padua a few years later. According to legend, Speronella Dalesmanini, who became a symbol of communal freedom, was imprisoned here.
It later passed to the Carraresi, who used it as a prison, and then to the Venetians. After losing its military function, it was repurposed by the Orologio family as a holiday residence.