Montagnana, Italy

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Visit Montagnana

Montagnana is south of Vicenza (south-east of Verona), in the Venice-Veneto region of Italy.

Any visit to Montagnana will start with a look at the walls - almost two kilometres long and among the most impressive medieval defensive walls to be found in Italy, perhaps Europe, and the main reason why visitors come to Montagnana. Start from the Castle of San Zeno, erected by Ezzelino da Romano, with its large rectangular courtyard and rectangular towers, which is now also home to the Civic Museum and contains many artefacts from the Bronze and Roman Ages.

Nearby you can see the magnificent Palace of the nobles Pisani, built by Palladio in the mid-sixteenth century.

Following Via Marconi and Via Carraresi we enter the heart of the city, where we will see the Hall by Michele Sanmicheli [1484-1559] (mid-sixteenth century) in ashlar-work, and enter into Piazza Maggiore, where you will see Montagnana Cathedral.

Montagnana cathedral

The cathedral has a distinguished façade dating from the early 16th century, with two slender pilasters at the sides and two along the portal of entry (probably by Jacopo Sansovino [1486-1570]). The cathedral is built on the location of the eleventh century Church of Santa Maria, with an interior in the Renaissance style with a barrel-vault. The altar is probably by Jacopo Sansovino and the altar piece by Paolo Veronese [1528-1588] (the Transfiguration"); in the chapel of San Sebastiano and Rocco there is an altar piece by Giovanni Buonconsiglio [c.1465 - c.1535)

Following the magnificent arcades adjacent to Piazza Maggiore, we continue along Via Carraresi to see some fine palaces (Palazzo degli Uberti and Palazzo Magnavin-Foratti). Continuing, we reach the famous 'Rocca degli Alberi', built by the Carraresi from Padua in the second half of the 14th century.

Pause again to admire the walls, up to ten meters high (and some twenty meters for the towers). Then simply wander a little around the city, perhaps to the Via Scaligera and Via dei Montagnani to see the 16th century Hospital of the Nativity with some frescoes by Giovanni Buonconsiglio.

Places to visit near Montagnana

Just outside the medieval walls is the Villa Pisani, one of the villas that are UNESCO listed as 'City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto'.

Montagnan cuisine - and 'sweet ham'

Montagnana, as well as being a city of art, is also renowned for its traditional products, especially for the local ham. The "sweet" ham of Montagnana is produced using ancient rural traditions of processing and curing, with results of a very high repute and appreciated by the Doges of Venice since 1400. Enjoy it with the white and red wines of Garganega, Seprino, Tocai and Pinot Bianco, perhaps accompanied with some of the excellent local cheeses.

For something special we recommend maybe a "cheese tart", the "ricotta ravioli and perhaps the 'wild-boar in a crust of bread with vegetable marrows and a smoked 'provola'. Many of these products can be sampled at Montagnana to early May, when the town plays host to the famous 'Feast of the ham'.

See also related article: history of Montagnana

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