In May 1833, Ralph Waldo Emerson climbed to a ruined castle at the southern edge of the Euganean Hills and declared Monselice the most picturesque town in Italy. From this vantage point, the writer looked across a vast plain, spotting the distant profiles of Padua, Este, and the towers of Venice.
Today, this municipality of roughly 17,400 residents still guards the southwestern approach to Padua, located 20 kilometers away. Elevated to official city status in 1960, the area remains defined by the sharp topographical contrast that captivated Emerson nearly two centuries ago.
Near Monselice
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
