⛪ Cosa visitare ad ARQUA' PETRARCA 📖🐈 Casa e Tomba di Francesco Petrarca, Gita sui Colli Euganei 🌄🍸

In this video, Pasticciotti takes you on a trip to Arquà Petrarca, one of the most enchanting villages in the Veneto region. Reaching it was very easy, delighted by the spectacular view of the Euganean Hills, and once we parked, we entered a beautiful green park, following a path that led us into the town. After consulting the town map, on our left we found the Church of Santa Maria Assunta ⛪, whose large square contains the tomb of the poet Francesco Petrarca, after whom the town is named. The funeral of the great poet was held in this church, and in his will he expressed his wish to be buried here. The Tuscan poet, in fact, decided to spend the last years of his life in this splendid village in the Euganean Hills, where he died in 1374. His body lies in the red marble sarcophagus that still stands in the center of the churchyard. After visiting Petrarch's tomb, we took a narrow uphill road lined with charming little shops and various taverns. After a long walk, we finally reached Petrarch's house. 🏡 Once we had purchased our tickets, a statue of the poet greeted us at the entrance. A photography exhibition was set up on the ground floor. Our attention, however, was immediately drawn to Petrarch's cat! 🐈 In fact, although the poet drew much of his inspiration from Laura, the woman he loved so much, he had a cat beside him for years, which now lies stuffed in a glass case inside a niche in Petrarch's house. Centuries after her death, the poet Antonio Querenghi paid homage to Francesco Petrarca's cat with these verses, spoken by the cat herself: The Tuscan poet burned with a double love: I was his greatest flame, Laura his second. Why do you laugh? If she the grace of divine beauty, made me worthy of such a lover's fidelity; if she gave rhythm and inspiration to the sacred writings, I defended them from wicked mice. When I was alive, I kept mice away from the sacred threshold, so they wouldn't destroy my master's writings. And now, even in death, I still make them tremble with fear: in my lifeless chest, the fidelity of the past still lives. We then ascended to the upper floor via these external stairs: The original building had been donated to the poet by his friend Francesco I da Carrara, lord of Padua. Petrarch made it a welcoming refuge and established a library. Here he spent his final years of life with his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, and continued his studies, finally dying on the night between July 18 and 19, 1374, his head resting on his beloved books. The most significant changes to the property were made in the mid-16th century by the then owner Paolo Valdezocco, who commissioned celebratory frescoes depicting the poet's life and the content of some of his works. From the small balcony, you can admire a beautiful garden with box hedges. And what a view! 🌄 After descending the stairs, we strolled through another garden adjacent to the house, where the poet loved to spend many hours contemplating nature. At this point, we were hungry, so we stopped at a cozy bruschetteria, where we refueled with a platter of cured meats and a delicious bruschetta 😋 Then we headed back down toward the heart of the village, stopping at the Oratory of the Holy Trinity, a building dating back to the 12th century, where Petrarch himself spent much time praying 🙏🏻 We took a ritual photo on these beautiful stone benches and then set off again, following the road, which led us to these steps: a full 100 steps that led us up and up, up to the majestic war memorial, where you can admire a breathtaking view. 🍷🍶 We couldn't help but stop at a wine shop to purchase typical local products made with jujubes: jujube broth, jujube biscuits, and even Euganean Spritz, the one—of course—with jujubes. Finally, on the way back, we stopped at the Piazza della Fontana del Petrarca ⛲, where you can buy a fountain that existed before the poet's arrival, where people came to draw water. On the other side of the road, you can see the back of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, in whose square lies Petrarch's tomb. Following the road, which runs alongside an ancient drinking trough and a public washhouse with stone shelves, we returned to the parking lot, admiring the profile of the church bell tower for the last time and casting a final, admiring glance at one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, which we highly recommend you visit. 🎂🍰 Follow us on Facebook too!   / pasticciotti.it   and on Instagram: i_pasticciotti_it