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 EmersonJournals (31 May 1833)
The town's mythological foundation is attributed to theTrojan heroOpsicella. The area shows evidence of human settlement since theBronze Age.
In Roman times it was known asMons Silicis, meaning "mountain offlintstone", possibly due to the local quarries oftrachyte.
The earliest known documents about Monselice date back to 568 AD and are related to the conquest of the town by theLombards. The town was underByzantine rule for a brief period until its conquest by kingAgilulf around 602.[4]
During theComuni period (12th century) the town had its own local self-government. The town was aligned with theGhibellines against theGuelphs in the political and military fights of the 13th century.
The Ghibelline leaderEzzelino 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 theCarraresi (the lords of Padua) and in the 15th century it became part of theRepublic of Venice.
The modern town lies in a wide valley between the Montericco, elevation 312 metres (1,024 ft), and the Rocca, elevation 110 metres (360 ft), hills (part of theEuganean 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 medievalTorre Civica (Civic Tower) and thePalazzo del Monte di Pietà (Public Pawn Palace). This building hosts the local tourist promotion board (Pro Loco), which provides information for visits to the town's historical attractions.
Piazza Mazzini square is also the starting point for the promenade walk alongVia del Santuario, leading to the most interesting sites of the town, which include:
The Castle of Monselice (orCastello Cini), which houses one of the most important collections of European medieval weapons and armour.
Villa Nani
The Romanesque church ofSanta Giustina (12th century).
The Seven Churches Sanctuary (Santuario delle Sette Chiese orVia Romana) with paintings byPalma il Giovane.Pietro Duodo (1554–1610), a Venetian patrician, committed to architectVincenzo Scamozzi the project for theSantuario delle Sette Chiese. 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 (basiliche) of Rome, hence theRomanis basilicis pares inscription on the portal of the sanctuary.
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.
Monselice is well connected to the major towns ofPadua,Venice andBologna.
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 ofMantua in Lombardy.
