The walls of Pernumia‘s most ancient buildings are composed of different materials: from the elongated, flat bricks of the Roman period, to well-carved trachyte cubes, porphyry and Custozza stones, all materials that are well-mixed and blended in the buildings’ foundations and walls.
Pernurmia’s importance in ancient times is proven by findings dating back to the Greek period, around the 5th century BC, most likely linked to the presence of a small island emerging from the marshes in this area. Such importance can also be inferred by the fact that, despite the several military sackings and destruction that occurred over the centuries, this town continued its expansion, acquiring new buildings, churches, monasteries and “ospitali”, including the “Ospitale della Trinità”, of which only the Chapel still exists, and the l’Ospitale Ca’ di Dio, also called Casa del Capitano.
In 971, the bishop of Padua donated some of Pernumia’s lands to the monastery of Santa Giustina of Padua – the town’s archpriestal church is in fact consecrated to the Saint – and this caused a series of fights among the canons, which continued until the Risorgimento.
In 1236 Pernumia’s castle was also razed to the ground by Ezzelino da Romano; its walls, however, were partially rebuilt in 1267, thanks to the improved craftsmanship and land reclamation in this area. In fact, this town reached its peak in the 13th century.
Pernumia’s 14th-century charter, kept in Padua’s Biblioteca Capitolare, carefully describes salaries, the tasks of public officials, fines for thieves, the rules for those guarding the town’s embankments, and those for artisans and farmers; it is like a photograph of what was the hard-working and flourishing local community at the time.