Arquà Petrarca
Discover Arquà Petrarca
A concise introduction to Arquà Petrarca, its geography, history and culture.
Introduction
Arquà is a village on a slope in the Euganean Hills, twenty minutes from Abano Terme, and it is where Petrarch chose to end his life.
He moved here in 1370 and died in 1374, reportedly at his desk. His house survives, and so does the village around it — a medieval hill settlement of stone houses on two levels that has never been substantially rebuilt.
His tomb stands in the square below the church, in red Verona marble and raised on columns so that it is impossible to walk past without noticing. The village added his name to its own in 1868.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth the detour without a car? Honestly, it is hard work. There is no station and little bus, so it means a taxi from Monselice or Este. If you have a car it is an easy and worthwhile hour; if you do not, weigh it against the other Euganean towns that sit on the railway.
How long do I need? Two hours covers it properly — the house, the tomb, the two squares and a walk down through the olives. It is a village of 1,835 people, not a town.
Can I go inside Petrarch's house? Yes — the house where he lived his last four years is now a museum dedicated to him. It has an admission charge and set hours; check them before travelling, because the journey is too inconvenient to waste.
What is brodo di giuggiole? Jujube broth, made from the ziziphus the village grows alongside olives, honey and chestnuts. It is also the Italian idiom for being overjoyed, which is the kind of coincidence a village of this size does not let go.
Where is the UNESCO site? Not in the village and not visible: the Laghetto della Costa, within the comune, holds a prehistoric pile-dwelling settlement inscribed in 2011 as part of the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps. The dwellings are archaeology in a lake bed, not something to go and look at.