| | The name of this town was originally "Monsilicis". The area where it now lies was inhabited during the Bronze Age, and was later colonized by the Romans. The Lombards took over the area in the seventh century AD. Monselice became a free city-state in the twelfth century, and was later occupied by Ezzelino da Roman, lieutenant in the army of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia. Monselice became the object of contention between Cangrande della Scala and the Da Carrara family in the fourteenth century. The town was fortified at that time, and was considered one of the Walled Cities of Venetia. It became part of the Republic of Venice in 1405; patrician families such as the Marcello, the Duodo, the Nani, the Pisani, and the Contarini built their sumptuous homes here. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Renaissance elements were added to the town's medieval structure, and in the seventeenth century, Baroque decorations made of local stone were added, to embellish the downtown area. |
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