Selvazzano Dentro
Selvazzano Dentro is a municipality on Padua's western edge, lying along the Bacchiglione river at the point where the city gives...
Updated 11 July 2026
The story
The story of Selvazzano Dentro
The Bacchiglione and its riverside paths
The Bacchiglione river crosses the municipal territory, offering a cycle and pedestrian path that connects Selvazzano Dentro to central Padua in just a few kilometres, an infrastructure heavily used both by daily commuters and by anyone looking for a green walk or bike ride. The banks alternate tree-lined stretches with more open areas, with occasional glimpses of old mills and hydraulic structures tied to the area's farming history. It is not a spectacular route in scenic terms, but it is functional and pleasant, and is probably the best way for a visitor to experience Selvazzano beyond simply driving through it.
The Venetian villas of the area
Like much of the Padua countryside, Selvazzano Dentro's territory retains a handful of Venetian villas built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by noble Venetian and Paduan families who owned farmland here. These are not absolute masterpieces on the level of the best-known Palladian villas, but stately homes with parks and farm wings that reflect a model of aristocratic-agricultural life once common across the region. Many are privately owned and not always open to visitors, but some façades and parks can be glimpsed simply by walking or driving past, giving a sense of how the rural Paduan landscape was organised before the urbanisation of the later twentieth century.
Golf and leisure time
Selvazzano Dentro is home to one of the Veneto's best-known golf clubs, Golf Club Padova, with an 18-hole course set among greenery on the edge of the Bacchiglione, used by both local members and golfers passing through the Padua-Euganean area. It is one of the few attractions that specifically brings visitors to Selvazzano, often combined with a spa stay in the nearby Euganean Hills. Beyond golf, the municipality offers public parks and widespread sports facilities, in keeping with its nature as a residential town oriented toward services for residents rather than passing tourism.
Toward the Euganean spas: Abano and Montegrotto nearby
One of the best reasons to stay in Selvazzano Dentro, if you are not looking specifically for Padua's old town, is its proximity to the Euganean spas. Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme, among the most important thermal areas in Europe, are just a few kilometres away and easily reached by car or bike along secondary roads that cross farmland dotted with the first hills. Choosing Selvazzano as a base means being able to move quickly toward both Padua and the Euganean Hills, without the cost and crowds of accommodation located directly in the busier spa towns.
A commuter-belt town, honestly told
It should be said plainly: Selvazzano Dentro today is mainly a residential town on Padua's inner commuter belt, grown rapidly in recent decades to house people who work in the city but want homes with gardens and nearby services. There are scattered industrial and commercial zones, noticeable traffic along the main roads into Padua, and a genuinely weak tourist identity. Visitors expecting an art town will be disappointed; those who take it for what it is - a convenient, reasonably green and well-connected base - may find it a practical spot from which to explore Padua and the Euganean Hills without the prices and crowds of the more touristy centres.
Experiences not to miss
- Cycle along the Bacchiglione riverside path into Padua
- Play or watch a round at Golf Club Padova
- Spot and admire from the outside the Venetian villas scattered across the area
- Reach Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme in just a few minutes
- Use Selvazzano as a quiet base for visiting Padua without staying in the centre
- Take a walk in the municipality's public parks
- Explore the back roads toward the first hills of the Euganean range by bike
To see
What to see in Selvazzano Dentro
Routes · Trovido Route
