Monselice (; ) is a town and municipality (

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

) located in northeastern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, in the

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

region, in the province of Padua about southwest of the city of

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

, at the southern edge of the Euganean Hills (''Colli Euganei'').

''Monselice is the most picturesque town I have seen in Italy. It has an old ruin of a castle upon the hill and thence commands a beautiful and extraordinary view. It lies in the wide plain – a dead level – whereon Ferrara, Bologna, Rovigo, Este, Padua stand and even Venice we could dimly see in the horizon rising with her tiara of proud towers. What a walk and what a wide delightful picture. To Venice 38 miles.''
Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...
''Journals'' (31 May 1833)

History

The town's mythological foundation is attributed to the Trojan hero Opsicella. The area shows evidence of human settlement since the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. In Roman times it was known as ''Mons Silicis'', meaning "mountain of

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

stone", possibly due to the local quarries of trachyte. The earliest known documents about Monselice date back to 568 AD and are related to the conquest of the town by the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

. The town was under

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

rule for a brief period until its conquest by king Agilulf around 602.Paul the Deacon, ''History of the Lombards'', 4.25; translated by William Dudley Foulke, 1907 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1974), p. 168 During the ''

Comuni A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' period (12th century) the town had its own local self-government. The town was aligned with the Ghibellines against the

Guelphs The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were Political faction, factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th ...

in the political and military fights of the 13th century. The Ghibelline leader Ezzelino III da Romano improved the town's fortifications and made it one of the main strongholds of the area. The town was then under the rule of the Carraresi (the lords of Padua) and in the 15th century it became part of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. After a short period of French domination, it was part of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

and, later, of its client Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. In 1866 it became part of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

Main sights

The modern town lies in a wide valley between the Montericco, elevation , and the Rocca, elevation , hills (part of the Euganean Hills). The oldest part of the town lies around the Rocca hill. In medieval times the Rocca was heavily fortified with five girdle walls that are partially still visible today. Important points for tourists can be the central square Piazza Mazzini with the medieval (Civic Tower) and the (Public Pawn Palace). This building hosts the local tourist promotion board (), which provides information for visits to the town's historical attractions. Piazza Mazzini square is also the starting point for the promenade walk along , leading to the most interesting sites of the town, which include: *The Castle of Monselice (or ), which houses one of the most important collections of European medieval weapons and armour. * *The Romanesque church of (12th century). *The Seven Churches Sanctuary ( or ) with paintings by . (1554–1610), a Venetian patrician, committed to architect the project for the . In 1606, Pope Paul V issued a papal bull that granted to pilgrims visiting the Sanctuary the same Catholic indulgencies granted to pilgrims visiting the seven main churches () of Rome, hence the inscription on the portal of the sanctuary. * , designed by . *The Keep ( or ), still standing on the Rocca hilltop. It is a tower built with regular trachyte blocks from local quarries.

Culture

A lively market is held every Monday in the town's main streets. An important fair is traditionally held every year around 1 November (All Saints Day - saint patron day for the town). Attractions include a food and general market, local food stands, a fun park, and exhibits. Started in recent years, the "''Palio di Monselice''" tournament has become a primary attraction. The Palio is held every year in September. It is modeled after medieval horse tournaments and it includes several other competitions: archery, chess tournament (also in the form of human chess), musicians tournament (with tambourines and "chiarine"), flag-flyers, millstone challenge and the parade of nine "contrade" in period costume.

Transportation

Monselice is well connected to the major towns of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. Monselice railway station is on the Venice-Padua-Bologna-Florence line, between Padua (North) and Bologna (South). A secondary railway line connects Monselice to the town of

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

in Lombardy. The nearest airports are Marco Polo, Venice (VCE), away, and Marconi, Bologna (BLQ), .

Twin towns

Monselice is twinned with: * , Italy, since 2006 * Poreč, Croatia, since 2010 * Niepołomice, Poland, since 2011 * Parkano, Finland, since 2015

References

External links

Town mapMonselice Turismo (Monselice touristic portal)The Castle of Monselice (Ca' Marcello)Touristic Promotion Board (Pro Loco, in Italian)A selection of Monselice postcardsRalph Waldo Emerson's impressions of Monselice

{{authority control Hilltowns in Veneto Castles in Italy