Discover Lissaro: Church, Art and Palio

Lissaro combines local history, sacred art and the festival tradition of the Palio dell’Asino di Lissaro.

Lissaro between its origins and church history

The name Lissaro derives from the Latin term “ilex” for holm oak. The place was first mentioned on 14 March 1077. The Pieve di San Giovanni Battista in Lissaro also dates back to an early phase of the area’s history: it is mentioned on 3 April 1288.

The present single-nave Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista di Lissaro was designed by the architect Antonio Diedo. In Lissaro, this specific building is thus connected with a history that can be traced back over many centuries.

Artworks in the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista

The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista di Lissaro houses a panel painting by Gerolamo Tessari (“del Santo”) from 1532. It depicts the Baptism of Jesus. Another work is an altarpiece executed in 1545, showing the Madonna enthroned between Santa Giustina, San Pietro, San Paolo and Sant’Elena. It is attributed to Stefano dell’Arzere.

The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista and the Palio dell’Asino di Lissaro represent different cultural themes: on the one hand, panel paintings and altarpieces with sacred motifs and artists’ names; on the other, a race, eight Contrade and a historical story involving a banner.

The Palio dell’Asino di Lissaro

The Palio dell’Asino di Lissaro is associated with a historical reenactment listed as entry number 25 in the regional register of Veneto.

The Palio is a traditional race featuring female donkeys from Lissaro’s eight Contrade, held during the village festival in honour of the patron saint San Giovanni Battista.

Its historical connection reaches back to a story dating from around the 11th century. The Palio commemorates an event in which people from Padua captured a Vicenza banner together with a donkey and displayed it in the square until a lavish feast was paid for. The combination of competition, local history and festival tradition gives this theme a distinctive character.

At the 2024 Palio dell’Asino di Lissaro, visitors could eat at the Taverna della Corte in the evening. In addition, “L’Asino che vola” celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Palio dell’Asino di Lissaro and the event’s recognition as a local historical event at regional level.

Regional connections and travel planning

In the regional context, the Palio dell’Asino di Lissaro is one of three medieval events in the joint “Terre Patavine 2025” project, held in Este, Camposampiero and Lissaro.

Between Arlesega and Lissaro, the project to improve traffic safety and widen the road also included the construction of a new cycle path.

Those planning to travel by bicycle can treat the connection between Arlesega and Lissaro as a separate planning section, as the project included not only improved traffic safety and road widening but also the construction of a new cycle path.

More places to discover

Pelosa, Trebaseleghe, Borgoricco, Santa Maria, Brugine, San Giorgio In Brenta, Anguillara Veneta and Padua.

To the higher-level travel overview: Padua.