Villanova di Camposampiero
Villanova di Camposampiero is a town in the northern Padua plain, which grew up next to nearby Camposampiero, historically linked...
Updated 12 July 2026
The story
The story of Villanova di Camposampiero
From Roman origins to the Middle Ages
The territory of Villanova di Camposampiero still bears the marks of Roman centuriation, the system of dividing farmland into regular plots that the Romans applied to the Padua plain and which shaped the orientation of roads and fields for two thousand years, still visible today in the right-angled road grid. The medieval settlement developed at the start of the Middle Ages around a pieve, a model common to many towns of the lower Padua plain. The first document mentioning the village dates to 1109, when Matilda of Canossa returned to the bishop of Ferrara some properties located in the Padua area, including land in what is now Villanova.
The Alvarotti family and the castle
In 1173 the Alvarotti family acquired lordship over Villanova and, on that same occasion, had a castle built, or perhaps rebuilt, to defend their territorial domain, in an era marked by conflicts between the towns of the Veneto plain. The Castle of Villanova, of which traces remain today in the building that inherited its defensive function, still dominates the surrounding area and is one of the town's main historical landmarks. The presence of the castle testifies to the strategic importance Villanova held in the system of territorial control between Padua and the Treviso foothills during the late Middle Ages.
The name and identity of the municipality
Having become part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, the municipality was given, on 11 August 1867, the addition of 'di Camposampiero' to its name, to distinguish it from other Italian towns of the same name and to underline its link with the nearby centre of Camposampiero, historically better known as the place of retreat and death of Saint Anthony of Padua in 1231. This territorial link remains strong today, and Villanova shares services, economy and, in part, the religious draw linked to the Saint with Camposampiero, while retaining its own distinct identity as an independent municipality.
The churches and artistic heritage
The church of San Prosdocimo, dedicated to the first bishop of Padua, houses sacred artworks and frescoes of historical value that testify to the ancient roots of worship in this territory. The new Chiesa Madre, built more recently, instead preserves the furnishings of the old parish church, including a 1508 panel attributed to Andrea Previtali, a Bergamo painter trained in the workshop of Giovanni Bellini, and two seventeenth-century canvases. This heritage, not vast but of quality, makes Villanova di Camposampiero an interesting stop for lovers of lesser-known Venetian sacred art, far from the major museums but no less authentic.
Farming life and festivals
Villanova di Camposampiero today has about six thousand inhabitants, with a mixed economy of farming, small industry and services linked to its closeness to Padua and the towns of the northern belt. The town's social life revolves around the Antica Sagra del Santo Sepolcro, held every year at the end of August over five days, with an agricultural fair, market, funfair, concerts and tastings of local products: a traditional event that draws residents and visitors from neighbouring towns and is the most keenly felt occasion of the year for the local community.
Experiences not to miss
- Cercare i segni della centuriazione romana nelle strade e nei campi del territorio
- Look for the traces of Roman centuriation in the roads and fields of the territory
To see
What to see in Villanova di Camposampiero
Routes · Trovido Route
