Porta Padova

Porta Padova is the eastern gate in Montagnana's fourteenth-century wall circuit, beside Castel San Zeno and the remains of an ancient settlement at Borgo San Zeno.

Why it matters

The gate faces Padua, the city whose rule shaped Montagnana's fourteenth-century walls. The area outside the eastern wall preserves evidence of a settlement of the ancient Veneti, active between the twelfth and eighth centuries BC along a former course of the Adige. The gate and castle therefore connect Montagnana's medieval defences with a much older history of settlement.

What to notice

Porta Padova stands beside Castel San Zeno, whose keep rises above the eastern entrance. The grass-covered defensive ditch and wall show how the gate formed part of the town's fortified perimeter. Archaeological finds from Borgo San Zeno include evidence of pottery, spinning and weaving, bronze work and glass-paste production.

Context and history

The Carraresi built the mid-fourteenth-century wall ring with gates facing the cardinal directions. The eastern gate guarded the road toward Padua, while the nearby keep of Castel San Zeno predates the present walls; Ezzelino III da Romano built it around 1242 after attacking the town. Archaeological evidence at Borgo San Zeno documents a protohistoric settlement on the fossil course of the Adige.