Unforgettable Arquà Petrarca: Medieval Escape from Abano

It was a privilege to spend a few hours on such a beautiful day in a comfortable minibus taking a ride through the picturesque Euganean hills and seeing the wonderful town of Arquà Petrarca and the famous medieval dwelling of Petrarch. If you don't have a car, this place is otherwise inaccessible. And besides, our guide Chiara told and showed us a lot of interesting things, she was very warm and friendly, and spoke fluently not only English, but also my niece's native Portuguese! Along with two other very special and cosmopolitan ladies, my niece and I had some unforgettable moments. It was an incredible coincidence that we also shared a common origin with one of them! It's a small world! And very beautiful.

Our guide, Cami, picked us up in a minivan at our hotel, Mioni Royal San and there were 4 total on the tour plus the guide. The tour was given in English, and luckily the other two guests were pretty fluent though Cami did fill in some details for one of the guests either in French or German, I'm not sure which. On our way to the olive orchards we stopped for a little information and picture opportunities at a few very old buildings that were in excellent condition were a little later period than the Medieval City. At the orchard, we went in the morning so we could get a tour of the state of the art machinery used to process the olives picked each day. Several large stainless steel processors that cleaned, pitted, pressed and prepared the olive oil that was then bottled by hand. There was a small shop that had all varieties of products related to olives, much of it done there at this facility. We did some tasting of different varieties of olive oil. After driving through the Euganean Hills, a lovely countryside we arrived at the Ancient City, Aqua Petrarca. We walked on the paving stone roads to the large home where the leading family in the area lived. It is preserved with its original walls and wooden parquet ceilings. Then a gentle walk down to the Holy Trinity church, during which the church bells rang loudly at noon. The Church is lovely inside and is still used by the community. There was an interesting building that had a huge old grape vine coming out of the wall in a couple of places and it spreads out on the exterior wall. The History, the guide and the whole experience was great.

It is hard to pick our favorite thing in this tour in that all of it was great. Our guide was Camilla, who was excellent. In addition to her native Italian, she speaks fluent English, French and German, but our particular tour was all in English. Arqua Petraca was a unique little medieval village. We particulary enjoyed a visit to the house of Petrarca, a famous Italian poet. There, Camilla gave us an interesting history of Petrarca, his loves and life. We also enjoyed a visit to Brodo di Arqua Petrarca where we tasted unique awesom liquors. We then went to Evo del Borgo and both learned about the making of olive oil and tasting several types of olive oil. Greatly increased our appriciation of olive oil. his trip was a wonderful break from the crowds and bustle of Venice and Padova.

The guide was very knowledgeable and so patient with the different needs of all guests. Loved the small size of the group

Today we explored the little Italian village of Arqua Petra with Camilla and it was such a wonderful experience. We wondered down winding alley ways filled with beauty and historic significance. Visited a famous Italian poet and were able to sample various artisanal products from the colli eugani hills. Such a great day made even better with a knowledgeable and professional guide committed to providing us an unforgettable tour. A ++++

We had a wonderful tour today with an expert who is happy to answer our questions and never made us feel rushed! So personable. The olive oil was amazing. The villa gorgeous! There are several other tours I want to do with this company after the wonderful experience today!

I was especially pleased with the staff at Lovivo, and our guide Camilla. Lovivo was very good about assisting us with setting a pickup location and being sure we would recognize it (by supplying a live photo). They were very patient with my limited access to communication. And, they did a great job of combining two language groups, each too small to schedule a tour, but providing each language group with its own guide. Camilla was extremely knowledgeable and very pleasant. I appreciated hearing about how she trained as part of the background she provided. It added authenticity to the tour and background information. Worth noting was the high quality of both the Olive Oil producer and the Giuggiole producer....I have found that level of quality is not typical on group tours and those visited speak well of the level of experience being offered by Lovivo. This specific tour is very low key and not at all demanding physically. While Petrarch's tomb and home were interesting, and a greatly appreciated the scenic stop before hand, I found the greatest interest in the two producers already mentioned, and in the great guide service provided by Camilla. This is a terrific tour, if you're looking for something low-key and easy paced. I would heartily recommend Lovivo and Camilla

AURA Dimore ad Arquà Petrarca „Ciche i bardzo czyste miejsce. Dobre i obfite śniadanie. Sympatyczni właściciele. Spacerkiem do cudnego miasteczka, w którym ostatnie lata spędził poeta Francesco Petrarca. Na pewno wrócimy w Wzgórza Eugenejskie i do Arqua Petrarca.”

The trip was interesting and with many things to see and "taste". The first stop, in an oil mill in the area, made us discover how the production of an oil so delicate and tasty at the same time is the result of the work of specialists and many years of experience in the sector. Then the Borgo di Arquà, where Petrarch's tomb is, with a visit to the Villa where the poet spent the last years of his life and with the Guide who told us the story of the character and the period in which he lived. I had beautiful flashes on memories of what I had read in school books ... a few years ago ,,, To conclude a visit to a bar where we could taste the famous "Brodo di Giuggiole" .... delicious.

With great pleasure, my judgment is extremely positive and Recommendation this tour to the knowledge of the village with oil tasting and typical liquor! Very good our escort Chiara and Marta for office practices. Professionalism and sympathy! A very pleasant day that I will take with me to Turin and make it known with my words to my affections! Keep it up! Good job and hope to see you soon!😘