Discover what to do in Montegaldella: the pumpkin festival, the greeting bike path, the church of San Michele Arcangelo. Want to know more? First of all…
Where is Montegaldella?
The municipality of Montegaldella borders to the north with Montegalda, to the northwest with Longare, to the southeast with Cervarese S. Croce and Rovolon, to the southwest with Nanto, to the east with Montegalda and Cervarese S. Croce, to the west with Longare, Castegnero and Nanto.
The Pumpkin Festival
The traditional fair is held each year, with rare exceptions, in September in the hamlet of Ghizzole. The 2023 edition will take place from September 15 to 18 and from September 21 to 24.
Set up on Via Ghizzole in the tranquil rural setting of a vast field shaded by a long row of linden trees near Villa Ragona Cecchetto and the church of San Tarcisio, the festival exalts the colors and aromas of the autumn season through exquisite recipes based on the prized fruit of the Cucurbitaceae family, with its compact, slightly floury flesh and its sweet, fragrant taste, whose charming round shape and bright orange color
evoke fantastic and enchanted scenes rooted in the collective imagination thanks to ancient fairy tales such as that of Cinderella, made known in Italy starting from the 17th century with the publication of La gatta cenerentola by Giambattista Basile, a reworking of a millenary legend from ancient Egypt.
Nourishing and tasty, pumpkin can be paired with cured meats and cold cuts to prepare various indulgent dishes, of which pumpkin tortelli with sausage and tomato and cotechino with sweet and sour pumpkin are just a few examples of the numerous dishes on the event’s rich menu.
To liven up the traditional event, there will also be rides and cabaret shows, dance performances and evenings dedicated to the great musical hits of the 1990s.
If you are wondering what to do in Montegaldella and are looking for original ways to spend the end of summer in joy and carefreeness, with local gastronomic specialties, glasses of wine and mugs of beer, the Pumpkin Festival is a highly recommended event.
The Greeting Bike Path
The cycle-pedestrian route goes into the serene countryside of the Vicenza plain, furrowed by the winding bends of the Bacchiglione River in the shade of lush hedges and long rows of dark, soaring cypress poplars.
If you are wondering what to do in Montegaldella, this pleasant path is suitable for anyone who wants to practice light physical activity outdoors in a silent and pleasant natural setting, among endless cornfields and vast grassy expanses dotted with rustic farmhouses and majestic centuries-old villas.
The Church of San Michele Arcangelo
Located at Via Roma, 2, the church of San Michele Arcangelo is one of the most significant architectural monuments in the municipality. Horizontally tripartite, the facade of the church is marked on the ground floor by four pairs of pink Corinthian pilasters framing the massive wooden arched portal.
Enclosed between two elegant dentilled frames, the central section is rhythmically marked by another four pairs of green pilasters, between which five niches open, adorned with statues depicting, from left to right: Saint Joseph holding the flowering staff and holding the Baby Jesus in his arms, Saint Peter with the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Jesus showing the Sacred Heart, Saint Paul, recognizable by the book and the sword at his side, and finally Saint Anthony, identifiable by the Franciscan habit and the symbols of the lily and the Child.
Completing the vertical development of the structure is an elaborate curvilinear pediment crowned by a large round arch surmounted by a stone cross.
Internally divided into three naves, the church bears in the central nave an elaborate choir loft where a refined pipe organ is located.
