Italy
Which country did Arquà Petrarca belong to from Mar 1861 to Mar 1862?
Arquà Petrarca Arquà Petrarca ( ) is a town and municipality ( comune ) in northeastern Italy , in the Veneto region , in the province of Padua . As of 2007 the estimated population of Arquà Petrarca was 1,835 . The town is part of the association of the most beautiful villages in Italy , and it has been awarded the Bandiera arancione award for excellence in tourism , hospitality and the environment . Within the town boundaries lies the Coast Lake ( Laghetto della Costa ) , one of the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Around the Alps , since 2011 in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list . Petrarch . Arquà is the place where the poet Petrarch ( Francesco Petrarca ) lived the final four years of his life ( 1370–74 ) . In 1870 , the town of Arquà added his name to its own . The house where he lived is now a museum dedicated to the poet . The German international literary Petrarca-Preis awards were held in his residence in 1976 and 1977 . In 2004 , the 700th anniversary of the poets birth was celebrated here and in nearby Padua . History . Human presence in Arquà dates back to the Bronze Age , according to archaeological excavations made between the second half of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century . Afterwards , the territory was inhabited by the Eneti , and then annexed to the X Regio Venetia et Histria during the age of Augustus . The legacy of the Roman domination is still present in toponyms ( Bignago derives from Bennius , Mercurana from Mercurius ) and archeological evidence , such as grave goods , imperial coins and sewage lines . The village was probably established within a defensive line existing during the Barbaric age , connecting the Rocca of Monselice , a city at the center of the local political and administrative Longobard jurisdiction , with Valle San Giorgio , Cinto Euganeo and the plains at the east of the Euganean Hills . In the Middle Ages , a castle ( castrum ) was built on a height , inhabited by Rodolfo Normanno , as certified by a document produced in 985 A.D . The original village developed around this fortified height , called Monte Castello ( Castles hill ) , with two distinct nuclei growing near the two churches of St Mary and the Holy Trinity . At the edge of the current Arquàs boundaries , archaeologists found a necropolis attributed to the Euganeans , a population living in the area before the colonization of Rome . Origin of the name . The name of Arquà derives from Latin Arquatum or Arquata ( Arched ) , which was modified during the period of the Republic of Venice to Arquada and finally Arquà . In 1868 , after the Veneto was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy , the name was changed to Arquà Petrarca in homage to the poet who spent there the last years of his life . Tourism . Still today , the town preserves a medieval aspect , and it is set in a picturesque location on the slopes of Monte Ventolone and Monte Castello , within the Euganean Hills . Arquà features two city squares : Piazza Petrarca ( Petrarchs square ) and Piazza San Marco ( St . Marks square ) . Near St . Marks square lies the Vicars Lodge , a public space built in the 14th century for heads of families to discuss with the Vicar . In 2003 , the roof was rebuilt with a structure of glass and copper , after being demolished in 1828 . Being it a small village , a complete tour of the main historical sites requires only a few hours . Agriculture is commonly practiced in Arquà : local produce includes olives , extra virgin olive oil , honey , chestnuts , and ziziphus . External links . - Official Institutional Website - Petrarchs House - Official Tourism Website