Sometimes there are villages of this our Veneto, unknown to most but which are also real jewels. And it is up to us who operate in the area the task of highlighting them and making them known to a wider audience. This is the case of the city of Montagnana, Orange flag of the Italian Touring Club, included among the most beautiful villages in Italy.
Montagnana is located in the province of PADUA, but is easily accessible from the hotel. It is in fact only 38Km as you can see from the map below. A typical MEDIEVAL city, Montagnana is among the walled cities of Veneto and Italy, the one that has best known how to preserve its walls that make it an unmistakable village.
The origins of Montagnana probably date back to Roman times. Its name derives from Motta Aeniana, or “small hill” (Motta) located on a post station along a Roman road (Aeniana). In Roman times the floods of the Adige river were frequent. In particular, after a terrible flood, the Romans decided to heavily modify the course of the river. From there MONTAGNANA was born.
After long wars, from 1405 until 1797 the city was part of the Serenissima Republic of Venice. Destiny shared by most of the cities of the Veneto.
What is striking about Montagnana is the splendid state of conservation of the historic village which lends it to medieval re-enactments.
Every year, in the green medieval valley around the walls of Montagnana, the rite of the PALIO is celebrated.
The “Palio” was one of the most typical Italian festivals in medieval times: it was the most widespread popular event with which a particularly significant event was celebrated for the whole community.
The plot of the “Palio dei 10 Comuni” has a very complex development, which follows the tortuosity and the tangle of the historical events of the territory.
Another peculiar feature of the Middle Ages, in addition to weapons, are the flags. They had the function of signaling and defined the attacks and retreats. The symbols of the family and military teams were imprinted on the flags.
The flag-wavers are flanked by musicians, cadet sons without possessions who had the function of intimidating the opponent and giving the cadence and inciting their soldiers.
Famous are the “SBANDIERATORI DI MONTAGNANA” and the numerous HISTORICAL RE-EVOCATIONS.
One last curiosity about Montagnana is culinary. Among the most typical products of the place is the famous RAW HAM OF MONTANGANA. It is a DOP product, or with a protected designation of origin, seasoned ONLY WITH SALT and no other flavorings. The result is a product with a “pink color tending to red in the lean part, pure white in the fat part, with a delicate, sweet and fragrant aroma”. Only by respecting a STRICT DISCIPLINARY will the logo of the consortium for the protection, the winged lion of San Marco, be branded.
