Driving along the motorway Padua-Bologna, after Rovigo exit coming from Bologna or after Terme Euganee exit coming from Padua, the tourist (if not absent-minded) can?t miss to notice a quite isolated little hill (a Venetian Sugarloaf or Pao de A‡ucar), that can be seen from the distance and on its top the ruins of an ancient fortress are still visible.
This is the most evident characteristic of Monselice, the ancient Mons Silicis; a town hiding inside works and monuments deserving a stop.

Without neglecting the rest, we suggest to enter the city walls and to walk along the road of the seven churches to discover its beauties.

After parking the car, we can immediately admire the fifteenth-century structure of the Monte di Piet… Palace and of the seventeenth-century loggia.

Along the way you meet:

Ca' Nani Mocenigo
Sumptuous building of the late Renaissance built between the end of 1500 and the beginning of 1600. Noteworthy the impressive stairs adorned by statues connecting the various levels of the garden. On the perimeter fence (in addition to the caper plants [*]) there are some dwarfs, allegoric stone statues alluding to the name of the noble Venetian family.

The Ancient Church of Santa Giustina
Built in 1256 in late Romanesque style, with gothic ornamental elements. The front is decorated by elegant mullioned windows with two lights and a central rose window. Over the entrance, protected by a fifteenth-century porch, the interesting medieval stone bas-relief representing the Agnus Dei.
In the interior paintings, remains of frescoes, a copy of the ?Our Lady of humbleness? (14th century) and a fifteenth-century polyptych with Santa Giustina and Saints (Venetian School) and 4 marble bas-reliefs of the seventeenth century attributed to Giovanni Marchiori.

Porta Romana
The arch of the entrance to the sacred area of the Jubilee Sanctuary of the Seven Churches is called "Roman Door" or "Holy Door".

Jubilee Sanctuary of the Seven Churches
Planned and built by Vincenzo Scamozzi and commissioned by the Duodo, a Venetian noble family between 1615 and 1615. In the same period the Duodo commissioned six chapels, In the six chapels there are five valuable altar pieces by Palma il Giovane, while in that one dedicated to the St, Peter and Paul there is an altar piece attributed to the Bavarian painter John Charles Loth.

St. George Church
The Sanctuary of St. George, called of the Saints, is the end point of the holy road. Enriched by a beautiful facing of the altar, with marble and semiprecious stones created by the Corbarelli workshop.

The Exedra of St. Francis Saverio
Spectacular seventeenth-century stairs

Duodo Villa
Built in two different times: the right side building was planned by Vincenzo Scamozzi in early 1600.
The front, dating 1740 and planned by Andrea Tirali, is decorated by bas-reliefs and closes the area on the plain with a large right angle wing

If you want to go on the way, from the square in front of Duodo Villa, through a large and steep stairs you can reach the "Frederick Fortress" and the archaeological park. On the top of the hill there are the ruins of the ancient fortress, the Donjon, built under the order of the Emperor Frederick II, Duke of Swabia, in the first half of thirteenth century

[*] The Euganean Hills are a rare island containing the characteristic maquis (where it can survive).

For more info:
castello di Monselice
santuario sette chiese
wikipedia: Monselice