Montegrotto Terme

Euganean Hills spa town near Padua, built around Roman-used thermal waters, sulphurous pools, and vineyard slopes.

Montegrotto Terme is a small spa town in the Euganean Hills, about 12 kilometres south of Padua. The hot springs here have been in use since Roman times — the ancient name was Fons Aponi, and the baths were well known to the empire's elite. Today the town is still essentially built around its thermal waters, with hotels and spa complexes lining the main streets and the smell of sulphur a faint background note.

It is not a place with much to see beyond the spa experience itself, and the modern resort infrastructure is functional rather than beautiful. But the thermal pools are genuinely restorative, the landscape of volcanic hills and vineyards beyond the town is pleasant, and for anyone based in Padua wanting a slower day, it is an easy train ride away.

The thermal water here reaches the surface at around 87°C and is cooled before use. Rich in bromine and iodine, it has been marketed for centuries as treatment for arthritis, respiratory problems, and general exhaustion. You don't need to believe the medical claims to enjoy an afternoon in an outdoor pool surrounded by Euganean Hills.

Guide

Day Trips

The Euganean Hills around Montegrotto reward a day on foot or by car. Within easy reach by short drive or bus: Abano Terme has the same thermal waters and larger spa hotels; Castello del Catajo, a few minutes south, is a sixteenth-century rural palace with frescoed halls and a deer park; Villa Barbarigo at Valsanzibio holds one of northern Italy's finest Baroque gardens, with a hedge maze and water tricks. Padua itself is ten minutes by train.

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Getting There

Montegrotto Terme is on the Padua–Bologna rail line and has frequent direct trains from Padua — the journey takes about 10 minutes. Trains run several times an hour throughout the day, making it an easy half-day trip from the city.

By car, it is about 15 minutes south of Padua via the SS16, following signs toward Este and the Colli Euganei.

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Things to Do

The thermal baths are the main draw. Most of the large spa hotels open their pools and wellness facilities to day visitors, which makes it easy to spend a few hours without booking a room. The outdoor pools are the most pleasant — warm water, the Euganean Hills as a backdrop, and considerably fewer people than the bigger resort complexes at nearby Abano Terme.

Beyond the baths, the Museo Nazionale Atestino holds excavated material from the Roman-era spa, including votive offerings left at the Fons Aponi spring. It is a small collection but gives a sense of how long people have been coming here for the waters.