Monselice

Walled city with military print

Located on the southern-east of the Euganean Hills, between the slopes of two hills.

Monselice is a municipality of about 18.000 inhabitants, that brings its name from Mons Silicis, in order to remind, the extraction of the rock from the hill where the town localizes. The first settings in this territory are really ancient and date back to the prehistoric age, thanks to the fortunate location, connection point among important streets and rivers.

The foundation of Monselice as city center date back to the V-VI century, due to a previous fortification of the Colle della Rocca (hill of the fortress) by the byzantine, whereas the partially preserved walls were built from the Carraresi in XVI century. At the feet of the Colle della Rocca rises up an architectural complex called Castello Cini, which assembles four different units of buildings.

The older part is the romanesque house with the little castle that dates back to the XI and XII century. The Ezzeliniana Tower, an impressive defensive building, was built during the XIII century and it’s characterized by its monumentals “tower chimneys”, singularity in Italy thanks to their form and functionality.

Since 1405 the complex of Monselice is acquired from the Marcello’s Family, which erected Ca’ Marcello, a connecting palace among the 3 pre-existent buildings. The venetians nobles made the venetian courtyard and the building which hosts the library restore, adding, during the Seventeenth century, the private family chapel.

For further informations visit the website: http://www.euganeanhills.com/municipalities/monselice/