Montagnana

Montagnana is a town and comune in the province of Padova, in Veneto (northern Italy). Neighbouring communes are Saletto, Megliadino San Fidenzio, Casale di Scodosia, Urbana, Bevilacqua, Pojana Maggiore, Pressana, Minerbe and Roveredo di Guà. As of 2011, the population of Montagnana was 9,454. The town was awarded with the Bandiera Arancione and is part of the I Borghi più belli d'Italia association.

Main sights

• The famous medieval city wall, is one of the best preserved examples of medieval walls in Europe.
• The Castle of San Zeno, built by Ezzelino III da Romano. Another castle is the Rocca degli Alberi, built by the Carraresi family in 1360–62.
• The Gothic Cathedral (1431–1502), with late-Renaissance additions. The interior includes a Transfiguration by Paolo Veronese and fresco of Judith and David, recently attributed to Giorgione.
• Palazzo Magnavin-Foratti, in Gothic-Venetian style.
• The Town Hall (1532).

Outside the city is the Villa Pisani, one of Andrea Palladio's masterpieces. The nearby town of Cittadella in the same province is also a walled town.

Culture

Two of the 20th century's greatest operatic tenors, Giovanni Martinelli and Aureliano Pertile, were both born in the town in 1885.

Food and cuisine

Montagnana is famous for its delicious Prosciutto Veneto PDO, in mid-May the city organizes a festival with conferences and tastings that attracts thousands of visitors.