Grey afternoon skies hung low over the countryside surrounding Padua, about a 40-minute drive west of Venice. I had just driven ten kilometers southwest of town to arrive at my destination, the Abbazia Di Praglia, a Benedictine community of monks. Nestled at the feet of the Euganean hills, along an ancient road leading to the … Read more Wine and Liquors, Secrets of the Monks of Padua
Discover the secrets of the Italian countryside on bicycle, foot or horseback. Get close up and personal on ancient lands dotted with walled medieval villages, wineries, and thermal spas. Fertile plains of orchards and vineyards blend smoothly among the rolling hills of the Padova countryside, providing a wealth of paths that intermingle throughout the Regional … Read more Italy ~ Explore New Discoveries Down a Country Road
“I have built me a house, small, but pleasant and decent, in the midst of slopes clothed with vines and olives,” Petrarch A volcanic range that dips and swells, spotted with medieval castles and sprawling vineyards, olive groves and ancient abbey’s among the towns of the Veneto plain are known as the Euganean Hills. Named … Read more Hot Springs and Castles Among the Vineyards
Monte Oliveto Maggiore-Benedictine Abbey founded in 1313 still steeped in ancient tradition. Deep within shadows of the ancient Monastery, monks in trailing white robes bend intensely over vases of herbs. Masters of herbal potions, they are concocting a curative elixir. Outside, towering Cypresses, chapels and footpaths surround the fortress-like monastery. Gregorian chants can be heard, … Read more Elixir of the Tuscan Monks
Timeless Italy Travels 