Motoring down the Autostrada south from Venice towards Florence, I am sure many of you will have noticed the conical peaks that rise majestically from the plain on your right hand side, just south of Padova. These are the Euganean Hills ...
Motoring down the Autostrada south from Venice towards Florence, I am sure many of you will have noticed the conical peaks that rise majestically from the plain on your right hand side, just south of Padova. These are the Euganean Hills, or Colli Euganei as they are known in Italian, a large and beautiful regional park of about 20,000 hectares.Wonderfully located and easy to reach by car or train, the Hills have the beautiful cities of Venice, Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Bologna and Ferrara virtually on their doorstep. Yet these hills retain a quiet presence standing guard over the Venetian plains. Picture postcard beautiful, The Euganean Hills, were mentioned in a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. A small excerpt from “Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills” goes as follows:
Beneath is spread like a green sea /The waveless plain of Lombardy, / Bounded by the vaporous air, / Islanded by cities fair…
Made up of more than eighty extinct volcanic peaks, The Euganean Hills are tranquil and beautiful. Slopes filled with oak and chestnut trees are sprinkled with cherry and almond blossom in springtime assailing the senses in a glorious way. Summer sees the vines heavy with grapes ripe for picking, while autumn brings rich russet colours to the woodlands, followed by the harvesting of the olive crop. Winter is cold and mysteriously foggy, with vines bare and gnarled waiting for spring. During the week, the Hills are so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All is silent except for the birds singing to one other from the treetops. Weekends – especially between spring and autumn - are quite another matter, as hundreds of Italian cyclists and car enthusiasts take to the Hills in their droves. It’s not unusual to see a group of thirty or more Harley-Davidson riders cruise majestically past, resplendent in their leather gear. Vintage car rally drivers – especially of the Fiat 500 variety – love to take their colourful vehicles around the high, winding roads. And a few months back, several hundred colourful Vespas took more than fifteen minutes to pass through the tiny hamlet of Faedo. The Euganean Hills are full of interesting things to see and do : Abano Terme is world famous for its thermal spas which attract visitors from all over Europe; the Hills are full of walking trails, all clearly marked, that take you through vineyards, olive groves, up steep trails and along flat canal banks; there are myriad cycling paths, both for racing and mountain bikes and the Euganean Hills are renowned for their superb wines … happy holidays !!
extract text from web site: http://www.italymagazine.com / by Orna O'Reilly
