Arquà Petrarca is a medieval village in the Euganean Hills and it’s considered the 2nd most beautiful village in Italy. It’s mostly known because Francesco Petrarca spent the last years of his life here and in 1868 the name of “Arquà” was changed in “Arquà Petrarca”. At first the ancients Venetians lived here, then the village was dominated by Romans, as you can see from the numerous archaeological finds. Among the most visited places of the village you can find for sure the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, nearly which there is the tomb of Petrarca. This church has a quite simple structure but it has a lot of frescoes of the venetian-byzantine school and the after Giotto’s art period like the “Madonna con il Bambino” and the triptych that represents Santa Maria, Maria Maddalena and Santa Lucia. Next to the church there’s the “Petrarca’s tomb”, that still contains his spoils. Its structure is an ark quite similar to the ancients Roman sarcophagi, made by red marble of Verona. Another place that you absolutely have to visit is the house of Francesco Petrarca, that includes two living parts and also the closet where he died and the mummy of his cat. Not only the beautiful places of the village but also the typical products and the events of Arquà attract every year lots of tourists. One of the most known products is the extra virgin olive oil, for which every year nearly November it’s celebrated the “Festival of the new oil”, an event in honor of the adhesion of Arquà to the national association called “City of oil”. The principal event of the village is the “Festival of the jujubes” that is celebrated every year during two Sundays of October.
