[3] The name of the town comes from the Latin word lignarium (wood), because in the past this area was covered by vast woodlands.

The most important monuments of the town are the Church of Saint Biagio (built from 1779 to 1786), Villa Baretta, and Corte Benedettina.

The town is also home to the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, a laboratory of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (National Institute of Nuclear Physics), the Zooprofilattico Experimental Institute, and Padua University Departments of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.

Other important festivals are the town fair, which takes place in September and lasts two weeks, and the Horse Festival, which takes places in June and lasts ten days.

In wartime horse meat was an important source of food for the inhabitants of Legnaro and it is said to have saved many people's lives.