Abanos location is optimal for trips to the nearby cities of Padua, Venice, Chioggia, Este and Ferrara.
After living in Verona for several years and hearing of the area around the
Euganean Hills located in Veneto, I've never had the opportunity to see the beautiful volcanic hills which were formed about 25 million years ago. That was until someone had offered me a job as a tour guide in Abano Terme, a small town of 10,000 inhabitants, which houses around a hundred hotels and many apartments.
My first impression when I went out to explore the terrain on a wet rainy day in April, was little influenced by disappointment. It seemed to me as a holiday destination with numerous modern, bland hotel complexes that had only been greyed by retirees and tourists alike, I put the label "boring / too modern / without charm" on my mind and thought with horror that my contract with a German tour operator was in fact already signed.
Once I was living there and into the mood of Padua, I got to grips with the area over the summer, I realized that you should never pass judgment based solely on first impressions or pre-rim opinions. In reality, the small town, although not much life in the mornings or afternoons but in the evening everything came to life with colour and a festive atmosphere through the many pedestrian streets, in the parks and on the city's piazzas.
Abano actually has residues derived from Roman times, but is a fairly modern town. The hotels are almost all built within the last three decades, with a few exceptions such as the Art Nouveau style Hotel All'Orologio that served as the headquarters of German troops during World War II.
Abano as a Tourist Destination
The modern and well-groomed appearance, the many flower decorations and stalls on the streets, ice-cream and outdoor cocktail bars created a cozy and appealing picture. It was obvious that the tourists who were in town enjoyed it, whether it was a young Italian couple, French families with children, pensioners associations from southern Italy or bus groups from Germany.
I also enjoyed walking the streets every night, it was hard to walk by the towns best homemade ice cream, so with ice cream in hand, watching dancing couples, listening to live music, browsing the many interesting art stalls and walking leisurely everywhere, it made for a great atmosphere.
Abano has several places with live music played in the evenings, both at the hotel terraces and cafes. In fact it was a pleasure to see the many young at heart 50 to 90 year olds happily dancing to the tango, waltz, rumba and cha-cha-cha for hours. While I was standing watching and just envious, admiring the crowd, I wished I could possess similar courage and dancing skills.
Urban governance organizes weekly art shows and music events in the pedestrian zone, as well as a film week, town celebrations and outdoor health fairs, to name just a few. I came after a summer in Abano to the conclusion that it was a city that I certainly had not been bored in.
Several fountains were built as a symbol of the town's livelihood and the hot springs found in the subsoil. On Wednesdays there is a huge market where you can buy everything from handbags, shoes, clothes, plants, fresh fish, fruit and vegetables.
Abano is surrounded by many lush hills with flat and sharp contours, which testifies to the area's prehistoric volcanic eruptions and marine sediments. The sharp peaks symbolize the most recent changes to the landscape, while the older trays have a more rounded appearance from the weather over the millennia has created erosions of gentler contours. The volcanic activity has laid fallow for years, but when you walk around the inner area feels as if it still has a powerful natural force. It is an incredibly green and fertile area which is known for good wines. One unique dessert you should taste is Moscato ai Fiori d'Arancio dei Euganean Hills - made from a sweet muscat vin like wine with flavors of orange flowers!
You can take advantage of
Abanos scenery by taking the mini train to the little, calmer neighboring town of Padua, where there is a railway station with trains Venice and Mantua. If experiencing the mini train is too slow, the alternative is going by bus which runs once or twice per hour dependant on the day.
One hotel in Abano showcases ruins from the
Roman thermal baths. With a small entrance fee you can swim in the hotels thermal water pool. In another hotel, which is originally decorated in beautiful Nouveau style
Art , it's possible to bathe in the warm thermal water right up until midnight - and for guests who are not staying at the hotel cost is about €20. Last summer, every Friday night were jazz sessions and other music events in the garden by the swimming pool, so you could enjoy live music while bathed in the warm thermal water pool, which is surrounded by a romantic lighting.
The other two town in this volcanic area is Rubano and Battaglia. The latter has a municipal swimming pool and a day pass for just €10 and where you can get a water massage in the hot thermal pool which has a temperature of 32 degrees. If you arrive on a weekday morning, there is ample space on the lawns to put a sunlounger and watch the silent surrounding lava hills.
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