GETTING TO THE TRAIL
From Abano Terme or from the Provincial Road no. 89 "via Euganea", follow the signs to Abbazia di Praglia. Once there, leave your vehicle at the parking lot and walk towards Monte delle Are, where the trail begins.
FEATURES:
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (Time is intended for a trained hiker, it could vary depending on the preparation and the interest for the itinerary features).
Difficulty level: easy
Length: 3.8 km
Difference in height: about 200 m
Recommended period for the visit: throughout the year
Involved municipalities: Teolo, Torreglia
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The Jubilee Trail has been realized by the Regional Forestry Service and co-financed by the Park Authority of Euganean Hills and from the Municipality of Teolo; itinerary rich of history and natural insights, it begins at the parking of the Abbey of Praglia going up the Monte delle Are through woods prevalently of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), chestnut (Castanea sativa), hop-hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia) and oaks. We arrive to an old paved road, to be followed for about 300-400 metres before turning left in a stretch of a forest track. Here, different types of tree grow, and the vegetation turns decidedly xerophile (living in dry climate): downy oaks (Quercus pubescens) and manna ash (Fraxinus ornus). After leaving the wood, the trail crosses an area of olives and vineyards, until arriving to a place known as Casa La Busa dell'Oro. This stretch ends by a roadside shrine; then the trail turns left on an old dirt road, where recent works for rainwater regulation are visible. A steep descent leads to the flat area facing the Abbey; here, the itinerary follows rural roads that local farmers use to work in their corn fields and vineyards. The trail runs around the whole Abbey and leads back to the parking lot.
The territory and the itinerary “Anello del Giubileo”
In the Park’s territory there are some of the most important religious sites of the Province of Padua, important centers of pilgrimage and convention venues: the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine della Salute of Monteortone and the Monastery of San Daniele, both located in Abano Terme and the Benedictine Abbey of Praglia in the municipality of Teolo. The trail of the Jubilee had been refurbished at the beginning of the new millennium, that from the parking of the Abbey of Praglia it elevates on an easy trail on the Lonzina Mountain, closing a loop rich of panoramic views on the Euganean territory and on the plain on the North; successively, also the trails of the Ortone Mountain and Colle San Daniele were refurbished. The “Anello del Giubileo” is a thematic itinerary and can be completed thanks to the presence of cycle ways and unpaved roads, that are no difficult, in order to complete the track that links the two main trails – Jubilee, Ortone Mountain and San Daniele, it is however necessary to pass also on busy roads, for this reason we recommend to be very careful.
The Abbey of Praglia
The name of Praglia comes from the Latin word “pratolea”, meaning “meadow”, in reference to the vast stretches of meadow that surround the monastery. In c. 1100, Count Maltraverso di Montebello, a noble Paduan, founded an aristocratic association, hence initiating the history of the abbey. During the Middle Ages, this religious centre was a stronghold of the Benedictine Order and, as it is still inhabited by monks, not all the abbey buildings are open to the public. The abbey is made up of a series of four-sided cloisters joined by a grand refectory, an ordinary refectory, a basilica and a prestigious ancient library that was built following the reconstruction of the monastery in 1400. The library boasts a collection of around 100.000 books including many rare texts, restored in the renowned book laboratory run and managed by the monks themselves.
