We were committed to doing one day trip during our stay in Venice to a place we hadn’t been before. I booked a 10:45 train for Monselice, and we took off towards the station.

The ride was only 47 minutes. I could see the signs of spring through the farmland as we rode towards Padova and then only 12 miles beyond.

Monselice is a small village/borgo, with ancient origins centered around a hill called the Rocca. From wikipedia “The earliest known documents about Monselice date back to 568 AD and are related to the conquest of the town by the Lombards. The town was under Byzantine rule for a brief period until its conquest by king Agilulf around 602.” It certainly has a medieval flavor.

The walk from the small train station was short and we entered here:

We stopped into the tourist information spot and got a paper map of the town, some advice, and we set off up the hill:

Just after the first turn we ran into these two lovelies:

We had a nice conversation with them and they said they had been modeling for a group of photographers.

Continuing up the hill you see how the little borgo is now surrounded by a bit of industry, traffic and much more modern amenities.

Almost at the top is a series of seven small churches which lead up to the Villa Duodo:

And just beyond them, at the top, is the Villa Duodo:

We started down the hill, stopping at a little park to watch the dogs (and owners) play and I checked out our options for lunch on my phone

All of the places were within a 2 block radius and we ended up at L’Osticella an unfancy spot with a small menu. We got seated and there were the knight and his lady (they had changed clothes), and the 5 photographers at another table. Ken had some chicken and potatoes and I had greens and beans. The food was homey, tasty and inexpensive.

We strolled back to the station and got on a very crowded train back to Venice.

Elisa had told us about the “Giardino Mistico” being open to the public today, but we discovered it already closed. We walked back on Strada Nova, stopped at the wine shop and the Coop and came home.

I made us some more homey, tasty, and even less expensive pasta with romanesco broccoli and leftover pancetta.

We certainly kept our feet in the street today and were fully satisfied by our day trip.