8 Best Things to Do in Abano Terme

As a spa town, Abano Terme is quaint and placid, even on walks through its historical centre along the main street of Viale delle Terme. You can start from the roundabout at Piazza Repubblica in front of Hotel Roma, northeast towards Duomo San Lorenzo, one of the town’s historical landmarks with its 14th-century campanile. The uncrowded street is lined with classical hotels, small shops and cafés, many of which feature outdoor terrace setups overlooking the street. Near the Duomo, check out Piazza del Sole e della Pace with its giant sundial. 

The best way to literally immerse yourself in an Italian spa resort like Abano Terme, is by experiencing one of their spas. Most of the classic hotels along Viale delle Terme feature spas with thermal pools that use mineral-rich waters. They help relax your muscles and regulate high blood pressure. You’ll need to pay extra for the spa facilities or treatments at the hotel you’re staying at. For instance, a thermal bath at a 5-star hotel such as the Hotel President Terme or Piscine Termali Leonardo da Vinci is around €30.

This small hilly park is where the ancient Sorgente Montorine springs of Abano Terme flowed during Roman times, eventually having villas and spas built around it. Now, you can still see the intact remains of its stone tubs and magnificent tall-pillared gate. The 2 buildings on both sides are the pinacoteca or art galleries (entry is free). One houses historical paintings and engravings, while the other features contemporary arts. The pools and springs have long dried up, but the surrounding park is leafy and green, great for a pleasant walk in the park.

Take in Abano Terme’s beautiful Euganean countryside with this beautiful church and its pointed bell tower set against the green foothills. On both sides of the 15th-century Santuario della Madonna della Salute (Sanctuary of the Madonna of Health) you’ll find a smaller parish and an adjacent monastery that serves as a religious guesthouse. A visit here takes you back in time through its grotto, old frescoes and fountain that’s considered to have played a miraculous role in ending the plague that swept the region. You can reach the church in around 6 minutes by car from Viale delle Terme through Via Monteortone. Entry’s free but proper attire is a must.

Where Viale delle Terme meets Via Matteotti, you can veer into this wide space that features a multi-coloured marbled floor and surrounded by colonnades under pink buildings. The piazza is also referred to by locals as Piazza della Meridiana, thanks to the meridian line markings on the tiles. A giant sundial towers over at its centre, where you can figure out the time of the day as it casts a shadow over the points along the 10-metre-radius semicircle. Three bronze plaques also list the solstices and equinoxes.

The Museo Internazionale della Maschera Amleto e Donato Sartori (Sartori International Mask Museum) houses some rare collections of masks by the late Italian poet and sculptor, Amleto Sartori, and his son, Donato. Among the collection are their own lifetime works, alongside a huge variety of ethnic samples from around the world that they’ve diligently collected and cared for from their extensive travels.

Around a half-hour drive southwest from Montirone Hill along Via San Daniele, you’ll come across this other green hill with the charming Monastero di San Daniele (San Daniele Monastery) at its top. Belvedere terraces adorn its front while scenic orchards cover the eastern slope down beside it. Step over the marbled staircase and enter the church to find the hallowed space with angelic statues on its gables, paintings of the nativity scene, and its altar colourfully lit by a rose window. Also check out the dome ceiling with the fresco of Saint Daniele ascending to the heavens.

Besides soaking your sore muscles away at a thermal pool, another unique way to experience the spa town of Abano Terme is through a fango termale (mud bath). Almost all hotels in town have the treatment on their spa menus, but you’ll usually need to undergo prior consultation for certain heart conditions. The heated mud (usually exceeding normal body temperature, up to around 40°C) can drastically lower blood pressure, which can leave you feeling totally relaxed, even long after completing your 30 or 45-minute treatment.