Fornace Laterizi: Hill Trails, Monasteries and Art

The Sentiero di Monte Ortone begins in Fornace Laterizi and is an easy circular hiking trail. If you would like to combine your stay with physical activity, this trail provides practical guidance for planning your day.

Between Parkland and Hill Trails

The municipality of Teolo lies entirely within the Euganean Hills Regional Park. Monte Ortone is a 168-metre-high rhyolite hill between Monte Rosso and Colle di San Daniele. At Monte Ortone, a trail passes through Mediterranean scrubland with heather, strawberry trees and privet; near the summit, downy oaks, the first chestnut trees and spring flowers can be found. The Salto della Volpe viewpoint has traditionally borne this name and offers an impressive view of the central Euganean Hills.

Routes for Different Day Plans

The Alta Via No. 1 of the Euganean Hills is approximately 40 kilometres long and takes about 12 hours of walking. The Anello del Giubileo links the Santuario della Madonna della Salute in Monteortone, the Monastero di San Daniele and the Abbazia di Praglia. The Sentiero del Giubileo begins at the car park of the Abbazia di Praglia and leads across Monte delle Are through a forest predominantly characterised by black locusts, chestnut trees, hop hornbeams and oaks. This provides a choice of a longer high-level trail, a connecting route and an easy circular hiking trail with different profiles.

Monasteries, Churches and Historic Traces

The Abbazia di Praglia is a Benedictine monastery whose history began around 1100. It comprises four cloisters, a monumental refectory and an ordinary refectory, a basilica and an old library. It cannot be visited in its entirety because it is still inhabited by monks.

The Monastero di San Daniele was built between 1076 and 1078 for Benedictine monks. Of the monastery on Monte Venda, which is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, parts of the church, the bell tower and the crypt remain visible after restoration. The Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate dates from 1300 and is a preserved part of a larger Benedictine monastery. The Palazzetto dei Vicari is a historic 16th-century building in Teolo and represents the importance of the hill village in the late Middle Ages and during Venetian rule from the 15th to the 18th century.

The Museo Dino Formaggio preserves around 200 paintings and sculptures by approximately 87 artists from the late 19th century to the present day. Medieval frescoes have been uncovered in the Chiesa di San Giorgio; they may have been created around the year 1000.

The Santuario della Madonna della Salute in Monteortone was built in the 15th century, preserves an image of the Madonna and is visited by numerous pilgrims every year. The site is associated with the healing of the soldier Pietro Falco, recorded in 1428. One of the highest-altitude springs in the Euganean area rises in the Grotta di Santa Felicita.

Rocky Landscape and Local Cuisine

Rocca Pendice is a natural trachyte rock face where sport climbing has traditionally been practised. The ruins of Speronella Castle stand on the Rocca; peregrine falcons regularly breed there. The area is part of a Natura 2000 protected site with the status of a Special Protection Area for birds. In the local cuisine, handmade gnocchi are among Teolo's characteristic products. Schissotto is one of the rustic breads found there.

More Destinations for Planning Your Trip to Italy

Discover more destinations here: Massanzago-Ca' Baglioni, Loreggia, Cittadella, Ponte San Nicolò, Carmignano Di Brenta, Pelosa, Conselve, Polverara.

To the higher-level travel overview: Padua.