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Draw a straight line between Padova and Monselice. Dig a large ditch between these two points, fill it with water, and you have the Canale Battaglia. This canal through the Veneto was dug at the end of the twelfth century to facilitate the transport of goods across the Veneto. Today, as we continued to walk south through the Veneto, the canal was our constant companion.
We hiked out Padova, past the Prato and down a long portico that lined the Vittorio Emanuele. It seemed much easier to leave Padova than to arrive there. In less than an hour we cleared the city and began our walk on a bike path that paralleled the canal.
Our course, designed by humans rather than nature, was nearly perfectly straight. At this point the Via shares the path with the Cammino of Saint Anthony, a pilgrimage route that runs from Padova to La Verna. A number of people we passed wished us a good St Anthony’s pilgrimage. That won’t last. Although we will eventually reach La Verna, our course will soon wander away to the east and the sea. St Anthony’s Way takes a more direct course.
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| The Canal |
A highway runs on the opposite side of the canal, and beyond that was a line of warehouses and strip malls. The outlet malls went on for nearly ten kilometers. We could have crossed over and done some shopping at the Ipermarket, taken in a movie at the Cineplex, or stopped for a Japanese lunch at the Fuyou restaurant. Oh what we miss when we have distance to cover.
At the height of the Venetian Republic, the nobility liked to build villas along the canals of the Veneto. Some are still standing, like the stately Villa Molin, a small country home built in 1597 for the Venetian ambassador Niccolo Molin.
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| Villa Molin |
Other villas, however, now lay in ruins. One of the most fascinating was the Villa Dondi Orologio. This villa, built in the sixteenth century, was at one time owned by the same family that was responsible for the great clock that overlooks Padova’s Piazza dei Signori. The villa has suffered several fires, and now lies abandoned. An old tower, with a staircase built around the outside of it, still rises above the ruins. This would be a great renovation project. A little work and it could be reborn as a BiciGrill or B&B.
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| Villa Dondi Orologio |
As the heat mounted, we longed for a break. Unfortunately there wasn’t much in the way of shade along the canal. At Mezzavia, we left the canal, crossed the highway, and went into a supermarket. I was hoping to find some icy drinks in a cooler, but the supermarket didn’t seem to have one. All of the bottles of ice tea were stored at the tepid room temperature. We then walked next door to the gas station. It didn’t have cool drinks either, but a bar was tucked into one wing of the station. We found seats outside the bar, and were able to sit and drink ice tea while watching motorists fill their gas tanks.
The kilometers passed. We walked by the massive Castle Catajo, which allegedly contains 350 rooms. It was built in 1570 by the owners of a mercenary company. Later it was transferred to the Hapsburgs, and today it is owned by the Dalla Francesca family. The castle is open in the late afternoon for guided tours only.
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| Castello del Catajo |
Onward. The sun beat down. Our steps became a slog. The next interesting town was Battaglia Terme. This was the first town I have seen in the Veneto that actually looked like Venice.
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| Battaglia Terme |
The canal ran right through the center of town. High bridges arched over the water. Wooden boats stood on the shore in a boatyard at the northern edge of town. It didn’t last long---it is a very small place---but for a moment I could close my eyes and imagine myself in la Serenissima.
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| Battaglia Terme |
At last we reached Monselice, a fascinating town set beneath a fort that stands on a small hill (the rocca) to the east. Although I consider myself reasonably familiar with Italy, I had never heard of Monselice before this trip. It may be a closely-guarded Italian secret, and there seem to be a number of shops in town geared toward tourists. The town does have a number of attractions, including a medieval wall, tower, and some very old villas. I could easily see spending an extra day here just to have more time to explore it, but, alas, tomorrow we are off again.
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| Piazza Mazzini |
Today’s Distance: 23.9 KM
Total Distance: 387.8 KM
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