On the summit of Monte Cinto, hidden among trees and underbrush, lie the ruins of a small oval fortress with a surrounding wall and buttress. Part of a defensive system, it controlled access from the plain to the western area of the Euganean Hills.
Documented as early as the year 1000, it was owned by the De Lendinara family, occupied by Ezzelino da Romano, and then passed to the Municipality of Padua in 1275, garrisoned by 7 soldiers supported by nearby villages. In the 14th century, the Carraresi used it against the Scaligeri, but under Venice (15th-16th centuries) it was abandoned due to its inaccessible location.
During World War II, the Germans built trenches and anti-aircraft positions there. Fun fact: at the center of the ruins lies an ancient stone mortar, perhaps used for producing gunpowder during the brigandage era.
