Monselice (; ) is a town and municipality (comune) located in northeastern Italy, in the Veneto region, in the province of Padua about southwest of the city of Padua, at the southern edge of the Euganean Hills (Colli Euganei). Monselice is the most picturesque town I have seen in Italy. It has an old ruin of a castle upon the hill and thence commands a beautiful and extraordinary view. It lies in the wide plain – a dead level – whereon Ferrara, Bologna, Rovigo, Este, Padua stand and even Venice we could dimly see in the horizon rising with her tiara of proud towers. What a walk and what a wide delightful picture. To Venice 38 miles. Ralph Waldo Emerson Journals (31 May 1833) History The town's mythological foundation is attributed to the Trojan hero Opsicella. The area shows evidence of human settlement since the Bronze Age. In Roman times it was known as Mons Silicis, meaning "mountain of flintstone", possibly due to the local quarries of trachyte. The earliest known documents about Monselice date back to 568 AD and are related to the conquest of the town by the Lombards. The town was under Byzantine rule for a brief period until its conquest by king Agilulf around 602. During the Comuni period (12th century) the town had its own local self-government. The town was aligned with the Ghibellines against the Guelphs in the political and military fights of the 13th century. The Ghibelline leader Ezzelino III da Romano improved the town's fortifications and made it one of the main strongholds of the area. The town was then under the Carraresi (the lords of Padua) rule and in the 15th century it became part of the Republic of Venice. After a short period of French domination, it was part of the Austrian Empire and, later, of its client Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. In 1866 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy. Main sights The modern town lies in a wide valley between the Montericco, elevation , and the Rocca, elevation , hills (part of the Euganean Hills). The oldest part of the town lies around the Rocca hill. In medieval times the Rocca was heavily fortified with five girdle walls that are partially still visible today. Important points for tourists can be the central square Piazza Mazzini with the medieval (Civic Tower) and the (Public Pawn Palace). This building hosts