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Montagnana
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The pride of
MONTAGNANA
, fifteen minutes down the train line from Este, is its
medieval city walls
, raised by the tyrant Ezzelino da Romano after he had virtually flattened the town in 1242. With a circumference of nearly two kilometres and twenty-four polygonal towers spaced at regular intervals, these are among the finest medieval fortifications in the country.
Gates pierce the walls at the cardinal points of the compass, the entrances to the east and west being further reinforced by fortresses. The eastern gate (Porta Padova) is protected by the Castello di San Zeno , built by Ezzelino in 1242, and now houses the Museo Civico e Archeologico (guided tours Wed-Fri 11am, Sat & Sun 11am & 4pm; L3000/€1.55), which displays objects uncovered around the town. On the western side, the Rocca degli Alberi was built by the Da Carrara clan in 1362 to keep the roads from Mantua and Verona covered. The centre of Montagnana is the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, dominated by the late- Gothic Duomo ; Veronese's altarpiece, a Transfiguration , is less engaging than the huge anonymous painting of the Battle of Lepanto on the left as you enter - it's said to represent accurately the ships and their positions at one point in the battle. The tourist office is in Castel San Zeno (Mon 9.30am-12.30pm, Wed-Sat 9.30am-12.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm, Sun 10am-1pm & 4-7pm; tel 0429.81.320). For accommodation the two-star hotels Concordia , Via San Zeno 148 (tel 0429.81.673; L90,000-120,000/€46.48-61.98), and Ezzelino , Via Praterie 1 (tel 0429.82.035; L60,000-90,000/€30.99-46.48), are both reasonable (the latter is above the Pizzeria Ezzelino ). The youth hostel is stunning, installed as it is in Rocca degli Alberi (reception open 7.30-9.30am & 3.30-11pm; tel 0429.81.076; L16,000/€8.26; April to mid-Oct). The least expensive decent meal in Montagnana is served at Pizzeria al Palio on Piazza Trieste (closed Tues), but for just a little more you can eat wonderful home-made dishes at Da Stona , Via Carrarese 51 (closed Mon). The hotels listed above also have restaurants . If you're stopping for a picnic in Montagnana, be sure to sample the delicious local prosciutto , which is exported all over the world.
Come to Montagnana on the first Sunday in September and you'll see its
Palio
- a poor relative of the costumed horse races in Siena, but enthusiastically performed, and rounded off by a firework display. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Italy,
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