COLLI EUGANEI

A few lines about our “mountains”… even if they are not.

The Colli Euganei (the Euganean Hills) were formed as result of a succession of submarine volcanic eruptions: one could say they are the offspring of fire and water. The soil is highly diverse. It was the second cycle of eruptions, about 35 million years ago, that formed the hills as we see them today. The lava surged upwards from the bottom of the sea which once covered what is now the Po valley and formed the cone shape that typifies a volcano, while the marine layer which withstood the rising pressure left a rounded hilltop. Consequently, the soil of the Colli Euganei is a precious patchwork where effusive lava rocks alternate with those of calcareous origin. Usually the volcanic ones are found at the summit of the Colli or along the slopes as landfill.

These hilltops which make up the area number about a hundred. Only when they exceed 600 meters can they be defined as mountains. Nevertheless, for the people that live here and of neighboring Padua the Colli Euganei are “Mountains”. Overall it covers an area of 19,000 hectares. The cultivation of grapes is the most widespread, followed by olives trees. A large part of the territory is still covered with forests and spontaneous vegetation. In this way, the whole euganeo environment remains balanced. Here winemaking and minor crops integrate perfectly with the territory. Nothing is intensive. If we add to this that the Colli Euganei has been recognized and protected as a Reginal Park since 1989, we are able to fully grasp the quality our territory.