Rocca Federiciana in Monselice

During the Middle Ages the province of Padua was the scene of continuous conflicts between the local lords, the Empire and the Republic of Venice.

Witness to these events was undoubtedly Monselice, where archaeologists have brought to light some fortifications dating back to the passage of Byzantine troops in the 6th century.

One of its most significant monuments is the Rocca Federiciana, built by Frederick II in the spring of 1239, when Monselice was under the control of the Ghibelline lord Ezzellino da Romano.

The Monselice fortress is one of the most interesting works of military architecture of the Middle Ages. The fortress was concentrated around the southern part of the Rocca, where the slope eases off. Instead, the northern part was very steep and had no defense. The top of the Fortress was where the command point of the entire defensive structure stood: the keep, built in the middle of a large flat expanse and 172 meters high. It is a square tower, built on a trachyte military base.

It was probably designed by Zilio Milanese, who at least until 1242 worked for the emperor Frederick II, building for him also the famous Castel del Monte in Puglia.

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