The Euganean Hills ( it, Colli Euganei ) are a group of hills of volcanic origin that rise to heights of 300 to 600 m from the Padovan-Venetian plain a few km south of

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of ...

. The ''Colli Euganei'' form the first Regional park established in the

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

(1989), enclosing fifteen towns and eighty one hills.

History

The name memorializes that of the Euganei, an ancient people who inhabited the region upon contact with the Romans. The Euganean Hills were formed in a sub-marine outwelling of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low- viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron ( mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More tha ...

ic lava during the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "da ...

, which was followed in the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but t ...

by an episode of activity characterized by viscous

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural s ...

, which formed deposits of

trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava enriched with silica and ...

. The Euganean Hills, just visible from

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isl ...

, have been celebrated for their picturesque beauty and their hot springs. In the Euganean Hills, at Arquà,

Petrarch Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

found peace and harmony towards the end of his life, and the town now bears his name attached to it. He discovered the village in 1369; there, he stated in his letter to posterity, "I have built me a house, small, but pleasant and decent, in the midst of slopes clothed with vines and olives,"—a house that may be seen there today. The Euganean hills, like an archipelago of steep-sided wooded islands rising from the perfectly flat agricultural plain, inspired the setting of

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his ach ...

's ''Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills''. Shelley likens the hill he has found himself upon, at first to an island in "the deep wide sea of Misery", then he sees that: :Beneath is spread like a green sea :The waveless plain of Lombardy, :Bounded by the vaporous air, :Islanded by cities fair— This brings his thoughts to Venice "thou hast been/Ocean's child, and then his queen;/Now is come a darker day," and finally to a wish for an idyllic retreat.

The Euganean Hills Regional Park

The ''Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei'' was established in 1989 by the Veneto Region. It covers an area of about 18,000 hectares. The park offers a wide choice of recreational, natural world, historical and tourist activities.

Mountains and Hills

* Monte Venda - * Monte Rua - * Monte Rusta - * Monte Cinto - * Monte Ceva - * Monte Cecilia -

Communes of the Euganean Hills

* Abano Terme *

Arquà Petrarca Arquà Petrarca () is a town and municipality ('' comune'') in northeastern Italy, in the Veneto region, in the province of Padua. As of 2007 the estimated population of Arquà Petrarca was 1,835. The town is part of the association of the most ...

* Baone *

Battaglia Terme Battaglia Terme ( vec, Ła Bataja) is a town and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of Italy, in the province of Padua. Battaglia lies at the easternmost edge of the volcanic Euganean Hills, and has been noted for its warm saline springs and natur ...

* Cervarese Santa Croce * Cinto Euganeo * Este * Galzignano Terme * Lozzo Atestino * Monselice * Montegrotto Terme * Rovolon * Teolo * Torreglia * Vò

Wines of the ''Colli Euganei''

Thirteen wineries have grouped together under the recently established ''Colli Euganei'' denomination. Wines consist of the White, with its typical straw-yellow colour and jasmine scent, the

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being ...

and

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

reds, the

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

, the Fior d’Arancio, the very sweet yellow Moscato, the

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

, the Novello, the dry ,

Pinot blanc Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produces white ...

, Red Wine, the sparkling and the ' ("Italic Tokay").

References

Parco Regionale Colli Euganei, official siteEuganean Hills - Regional Park of Veneto

Tourism and territory of the Euganean Hills
(e-text) * ttp://www.oldandsold.com/articles30/venetia-16.shtml "Two poets and the Euganean Hills" {{Coord, 45, 19, N, 11, 40, E, display=title, region:IT_type:mountain_source:GNS-enwiki Hills of Italy Volcanoes of Italy Paleogene volcanism