Abano Terme

Colle del Montirone

This small hill, once rich with natural thermal springs was particularly dear to the old inhabitants who, during Roman times, surrounded it with villas and spa facilities. The entry to the ancient spring is announced by a Corinthian colonnade from the early twentieth century and a mighty Doric column topped with a cup wrapped in the coils of a snake designed by Giuseppe Jappelli in 1825 for the passage of Emperor Francis I of Austria.

The two buildings flanking the entrance hold the Pinacoteca Civica Montirone, which collects paintings, drawings and engravings from the fifteenth to the twentieth century, and the Municipal Gallery of Contemporary Art, home to temporary exhibitions.

Pietro d'Abano

Between the green of the gardens in the pedestrian area is the statue of Pietro d'Abano. Born in 1257, Pietro, son of Costanzo a notary, stayed for a long time in Constantinople. He studied at the University of Padua and become the greatest Italian scientist of the fourteenth century as well as an alchemist. He taught medicine, philosophy, and astrology. This interdisciplinary approach aroused the suspicions of the Inquisition that accused him of necromancy and heresy and in 1316

put his remains at stake. His theories inspired the splendid astrological cycle fresco inside the Palazzo della Ragione in Padua.

The Duomo di San Lorenzo

The Duomo di San Lorenzo is the primary religious building in the city centre. Its foundation dates back to the second half of the tenth century but its current form dates back to the eighteenth century and is the work of architect Domenico Cerato. It houses seventeenth-century sculptures. The bell tower dates back to 1314 and the base can be dated back to around the tenth century.

Parco Urbano Termale

A jewel of modern architecture designed by one of the most important and historic architects, Paolo Portoghesi. The sprawling complex, which blends harmoniously into the urban and architectural context of the spa city, is designed as one big continuous lawn, crossed by paved and bike paths, planted with tall plants and tall trees arranged along the main avenue.

Amleto and Donato Sartori International Mask Museum

The only museum of its kind that combines the prestigious works of Amleto Sartori and his son Donato, an artist of international fame, who created masks for the Commedia dell'Arte and for the theatre in general.

Villas and Parks

Beautiful noble villas built mainly between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries embellish the city centre and the surrounding green hills. Villa Savioli, Villa Bassi Rathgeb, Villa Rigoni Savioli, Villa Mocenigo Mainardi, Villa Bembiana.

Sanctuaries and Monasteries

At Monteortone, a community in Abano Terme, you will find the Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Health. The church was built in the fifteenth century in the spot where, in 1428, soldier Pietro Falco received a miracle and was healed of the plague after finding an image of the Virgin in a small cave and then bathing in the water from a fountain at the foot of the Monteortone hill. The Latin cross church with three naves and apses and fifteenth century bell tower, still keeps

the miraculous image of Our Lady, which is visited each year by numerous pilgrimages. The interior of the sanctuary is decorated with numerous works including fifteenth-century frescoes by Jacopo da Montagnana. Another great spiritual centre is the Benedictine Monastery of Saint Daniel nestled on the mountain of the same name. Construction dates back to 1705 and was ordered by the lords of Montagnana to honour the Paduan martyr Daniel. Today it houses cloistered Benedictine nuns.