Montegrotto Terme: Thermal World, History and Landscape

Montegrotto Terme combines the history of its thermal resource with distinctive visitor attractions and a varied landscape. Here you can visit a museum dedicated to the development of thermal practices, see the archaeological remains of an ancient thermal complex, discover an extraordinary diving pool facility at Y-40 Subacquea and follow the Sentiero di Villa Draghi n. 18 through different landscape environments.

Thermal History around Villa Draghi

The Museo del termalismo antico e del territorio is Europe’s first museum devoted entirely to the thermal resource. Its themes range from geological and medical perspectives to archaeological and historical ones. The museum is located in the Villa Draghi complex in Montegrotto Terme; its rooms are open to everyone. This makes it possible to view the significance of thermal water not only as a present-day treatment tradition, but also in its geological, historical and cultural contexts.

Villa Draghi is considered part of the local cultural heritage and lies on the slopes of Monte Alto. The present building was constructed between 1848 and 1850 by Pietro Scapin. At the Area archeologica di viale Stazione / via degli Scavi, you can also visit the remains of a monumental thermal complex. Its layout dates from the time of Augustus. The complex was built in the second half of the 1st century BC, later expanded and used until the 3rd century AD. Montegrotto Terme therefore focuses both on the more recent history of the thermal tradition and on its ancient architectural traces.

Y-40 Subacquea: Thermal Water from a Different Perspective

A distinctive experience is the Y-40 Subacquea thermal diving pool facility. It reaches a depth of 40 metres, contains 4,300 cubic metres of thermal water and is maintained at 32–34°C. Intermediate platforms and caves at different depths are available for courses and specialist disciplines such as cave diving. Even without diving yourself, you can observe the activities: large windows and a transparent tunnel offer views of dives by scuba divers and freedivers. The facility thus combines the dimension of thermal water with a clearly defined format for diving, observation and specialist disciplines.

Forests, Clearings and Activities for Families

The Sentiero di Villa Draghi n. 18 is a trail in the Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei near Villa Draghi. It passes through oak and chestnut forests, across small clearings, through agricultural land and through Mediterranean maquis. Anyone who wants to explore the character of the landscape in addition to the thermal and cultural attractions will find several clearly different environments along this trail.

Casa delle Farfalle is a tropical greenhouse where butterflies fly freely. Bosco delle Fate has a children’s playground. Butterfly Arc offers schools and organised groups numerous educational workshops and interactive activities. These attractions complement the historical and thermal highlights with nature observation, playful visits and organised educational programmes.

The Terme Euganee di Abano e Montegrotto specialise in mud-bath therapy and thermal treatments.

Further Destinations

Find more destinations at Albignasego, Piombino Dese, Busiago, Codevigo, Vigodarzere, Correzzola and Borgoricco.

To the higher-level travel overview: Padua.

More about the Destination

Relevant information for planning your trip:

Montegrotto Terme.