28. Antichi sentieri sopra Luvigliano

GETTING TO THE TRAIL
From Torreglia or Provincial Road 89 "via Euganea", follow the signs to Luvigliano. There, leave your vehicle at the recommended parking lots of Villa Vescovi and take the path from via Fornetto which rises to the right side of Villa Vescovi looking up the mountain.

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: 3.9 km
Difference in height: about 195 m
Recommended period for the visit: throughout the year
Involved municipalities: Teolo, Torreglia

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The departure of the trail is from Villa dei Vescovi, historical Venetian Villa of the renaissance period, that for its elevated position, and elegant style is one of the symbolic Villas of the Venetian dominance on the Euganian territory. After the church and the entry to Villa dei Vescovi on the right, one proceeds along the asphalted road until turning towards a cart road on the left. From here there is a walnut grove; on the side of the grove there is a “calto” that gives humidity throughout all the year. It is not difficult to see an American crayfish and small invertebrates run tirelss on the bed of the stream.
After having passed the old quarry with a furnace, reconstructed as a private house, the road turns on the right, the cart road becomes more narrow and steep, dug in the “Scaglia rossa” that is clearly visible on the sides and on the back of the trail. Also the vegetation, clearly disturbed from the man’s work changes, giving space to the typical species of the thermophilic woods: oak, Judas tree and wild asparagus are some of the species that can be found.
The trail starts to climb until reaching a plain, cultivated near a big wooden cross. The view is worth all of the effort done to get there; from here we can observe the Euganian uplands and the mountains of the Grande and Madonna in front, the mountains Pirio and Pendice on the left, while the near Solone mountain closes the horizon on the right. We continue with the path in front of us, we proceed walking on a slight slope on a fresh mountainside and often muddy, among hornbeams and chestnuts.
On the watershed, on the west we can see the overhanging walls of the mountains Pirio and Pendice, popular destination for many climbers, and on the opposite side we can see Teolo. We continue along the dorsal, namely on a crossroads with the indication of the Alta Via, we continue on the main road until reaching a beautiful Marian capital at “Terre Bianche” place, which appears as a little church with a bell in white masonry, built in order to protect the vineyards from the storms and recently enhanced by the Alpini group of Torreglia. Sitting on the benches, we can admire the panorama that extends towards east: the thermal spas of Abano and Montegrotto, Padua and the eastern plains, on clear days it is possible to distinguish the lagoon with Venice and Chioggia.
The road proceeds with a slightly uphill until curving on the back of Casa Milanta and from here, before the curve, we get the road that goes down on the left passing the houses that then proceeds down among the olive trees and vineyards bringing us to Luvigliano near Villa Pollini, historical abode of the Paduan pianist Cesare Pollini. From here we take the road downhill along the perimeter walls of Villa dei Vescovi until the parking.

Villa dei Vescovi
Situated in the heart of the Euganean Hills, in the province of Padua, Villa dei Vescovi is the most important house of the Prepalladian Renaissance. Built between 1535 and 1542, the Villa was created for the bishop of Padua, Francesco Pisani, as a big architectural work, inspired to the classical and addressed to receive scholars and artists of the learned circle of intellectuals gathered by the bishop. The project was given to the painter-architect from Verona Giovanni Maria Falconetto, while the direction of the works went to the Venetian erudite Alvise Cornaro, responsible at those times of the curial administration. The interiors and the loggias were enriched by the frescos realized by the Flemish Lambert Sustris, great admirer of Raffaello’s painting in Rome. The Villa has conserved during the time the old relation of harmonious correspondence with the surrounding landscape. Plunging in the atmosphere means living an unforgettable experience and learning to know the real nature of this monument: a place where one can think, stop for a moment and enjoy the beauty of the internal spaces and of the surrounding landscape.