Euganean Hills vineyards past and present
History of Euganean Hills vineyards: a journey back through time
Ancient roots
The history of vineyards on the Euganean Hills has its beginnings in the distant past. The first occupants of the area were already drinking a beverage made from fermented grape juice. There is direct evidence of this, provided not least by archaeological digs that have unearthed numerous botanical finds, around 200 whole grape seeds and more than 400 fragments.
It was during the Paleo-Venetian civilization (1200 BC) that wine came into widespread use, due largely to the symbolic power it supposedly held, then with the arrival of the Romans in the Euganean region, people began to grow vines and make use of the fruit, and the juice became a very common and popular drink, almost always mixed with honey and spices.
The monasteries and Petrarch
In the Middle Ages, monasteries and abbeys played a decisive role in safeguarding agricultural and viticulture practices. When Benedictine and Camaldolese monks acquired land in the Euganean Hills, pruning techniques improved, as did the methods of making and preserving wine, and vineyards became an integral feature of monastic lands.
Later, in 1370, the scholar and poet Petrarch fell in love with the small village of Arquà (now Arquà Petrarca), fondly describing his house surrounded by vineyards and olive trees. The history of vineyards in the Euganean Hills carried on into the Renaissance, when local wines increasingly won praise from the Venetian nobility and were mentioned in many writings.
