Montagnana

MontagnanaThe Walled Wonder

The only thing Montagnana is more famous for than its delicious Prosciutto Veneto are the 2 kilometres of walls, varying in height from 6.5 to 8 metres, that surround the majority of the town. Visitors can appreciate the magnitude of this impressive medieval structure and experience the feel of 11th-century Europe in its truest form. The town also features two castles built in the 13th and 14th centuries, a 15th-century Gothic cathedral with late-Renaissance additions, and the town hall built in 1532. Opera fans will also be intrigued to learn that two of the 20th century’s greatest operatic tenors, Giovannie Martinelli and Aureliano Petrile, were both born within the city walls in 1885. Montagnana was the recipient of the Bandiera Arancione (“Orange Flag” in Italian), which is awarded to small towns for excellence in tourism, hospitality, and the environment, an honour befitting of such an incredibly well-preserved piece of European history.