Historians have given, to the town's name, various interpretations, including that, according to which, the first part derives from the Latin word "silvariensis" (forest) or from the Latin name "Cervarius". The second part refers, instead, to the church dedicated to Santa Croce (to the Holy Cross), located in the main centre. Municipality in the province of Padua, located on the border with the territory of Vicenza, along the banks of the river Bacchiglione, at the center of the Euganean Hills, Cervarese is a vital center in terms of productive assets. Important are the plant nurseries and the handicraft and industrial activities, such as the production of furs.
The town has ancient origins, although there is no definite information about the date of its foundation. The recent discovery of artifacts attest that the area was inhabited at first by the Paleoveneti, while some historians argue about this thesis and confirm that the first stable nucleus was established at the time of the Roman colonization, a period in which trachyte was already exploited from the quarry of Montemerlo. After the fall of the Roman Empire the area was invaded by barbarians, and subject to the Lombards. In the XII century the town submitted the siege of the troops of Vicenza, while in the XIV century it was attacked and seriously damaged by the Scala family and in the following years it was scenario of the clashes between the nobles of Carrara and Venice. In the XV century, incorporated into the Serenissima Republic of Venice, the struggle for dominance in the area was temporary put to an end, until it submitted the periods of Napoleonic and Habsburg domain.

Attractions:
- the Oratory of the Holy Cross in Cervarese, mentioned since the year 874, has a Latin cross plan, a semicircular apse and nave with wooden beams, decorated with frescoes which date back to a period between the XI and the XVI centuries. Destroyed and rebuilt several times, it has been recently restored and now hosts cultural events and conferences;
- the Church in the district of Montemerlo, built entirely of trachyte in the XX century, houses a statue of St. Michael, realized, in 1425, by Wiener Neustadt;
- the XIX century Oratory of St. Joseph in neo-Gothic style;
- the Castle of San Martino della Vaneze, built for defensive purposes around year 1000, in the first half of the XIV century belonged to the Carrara, while during the period of Venitian rule, it played an important role thanks to its port on the river. At present it houses a museum with interesting archaeological finds dating from prehistory to modern times;
- Palazzo Da Rio, a complex of two buildings: one built in the XVI century and another one completed in the XIX century;
- Villa Trento, built in the second half of the XVI century;
- the XVII century Palazzo Perin;
- the XVII century Palazzo Marzari;
- the XIX century Villa Moschini;
- Palazzo Levi.