Why go to padua

These squares in the heart of the city offer a wide range of seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. A medieval town hall building, the interior is a vast open space suitable for official events and gatherings. The walls are illustrated with intricate fresco cycles on astrological and religious subjects. Beneath the Palazzo della Ragione are numerous covered stalls with butchers, fishmongers, bakeries and cheese shops.

These are ideal for cobbling together an inexpensive lunch. This complex of buildings was commissioned by Alvise Cornaro, a native son of Padua and a true Renaissance man. Cornaro was a nobleman who also nurtured interests in hydraulic engineering, healthy living, architecture, theatre, poetry and art.

He built a loggia in Padua, and borrowed heavily from classical antiquity. The open porch was intended for theatrical performances and spectators once filled the grassy courtyard. The Odeo is a smaller, more intimate space in an octagonal shape. Cornaro dedicated the Odeo to stimulating conversations, poetry and musical performances. The room reminds you of a small cave, and the walls are decorated with bizarre creatures and grotesques. In a city filled with patrician sculpture and religious painting, these comical works are both strange and highly enjoyable.

If you spend any time perusing art of the Veneto, you will become familiar with scuole and scolette , also known as confraternities. These were charitable and religious organizations; in the ones made up of elites, members commissioned richly decorated meeting halls. The Oratory building is also a funeral chapel for the wealthy Lupi family, and continues the heritage of fresco painting in Padua.

The barrel-vaulted brick chapel and its interior walls echo the Scrovegni frescoes, though these works were completed by Altichiero da Zevio. If you are curious about the works of this Franciscan saint, you can view them as sensitively interpreted by Titian — alongside frescoes by his contemporaries. The garden was established in and has been in continuous use ever since. The circular design ringed by water was meant to reflect contemporary maps of the world. Over the years, the university has added enhancements like a library, walls, balustrades and gates.

The layout remains true to its original conception—meant to be orderly and pleasing to the eye. But the Orto Botanico is not just another pretty place to see some flowers. Since its founding days, the garden has served as a repository for botanical knowledge, and its intersections with medicine, ecology, conservation and culture. Walking along the orthogonal paths, you gain a real sense of how Renaissance thinkers were striving to understand the natural world in new ways.

This is because of the magnificent astronomical clock tower that stands proudly in the square. You will soon notice that there are 11 out of the 12 zodiac signs Libra is missing and it follows the geocentric model of the solar system. Saint Anthony was known for helping children and the poor and today the Basilica is a popular pilgrimage site — with over 5 million pilgrims visiting each year.

Visit the archaeological site of the arena, and the Scrovegni Chapel. It was originally a private family chapel that contains a masterpiece by Giotto from You will have to pay to go inside and it is recommended that you book a day in advance because they only allow a certain number of people to visit at a given time.

There are also several museums in the area archaeological, art gallery, Zuckermann Palace, natural history, zoological and geological museum of the university. However, if you are only in Padua for one day, you may want to skip these museums and save them for when you return. Then enter a neighborhood with narrow streets, rich in medieval architecture and there are many taverns and restaurants. Good to know: if you have time, it is also worth visiting the interiors of La Specola: first it was a castle, then a prison, now it is a university and a venue for shows.

After you should continue south, past the lock entrance along the river of the medieval city , then the park of the Swans — along the river and Renaissance walls, with centuries-old evergreen trees — up to the Bachiglione. Finally have a well-deserved drink at Pier88 , overlooking the river or in winter go inside. You need to go to Palazzo Bo on your day in Padua. It is an extremely beautiful place to admire because the University of Padua is one of the oldest universities in the world.

You can visit the outside courtyards for free but to go inside you will have to go on a guided tour. Good to know: book in advance to avoid disappointment, you can do that here. Head to Piazza Capitaniato because you can choose between dozens of different places for a spritz. The square is surrounded by historic buildings it was the square where the municipal army gathered, inside the palace of the Carraresi — the Lords of Padua , and you are under the shade of the trees.

Many of the beautiful frescoes by Mantegna were destroyed. The frescoes were painted by Giusto de Menabuoi and the detail in them is superb. Padua river ring — for a bike ride 20km to reach several Venetian villas, including Villa Pisani: small Versailles. A boat ride on the Piovego — you can reach Venice and perhaps Chioggia too.

Venice — only a minute train ride away is the romantic and ancient city of Venezia. Colli Euganei — only 45 minutes by car. It is rich in nature, vineyards, and history and is the retirement and resting place for Petrarca, one of the most important Italian poets. It is an extremely picturesque historic city and will not be as busy as its neighbours Venice and Verona.

What are you waiting for? Photo Credit: averagelives. A big shout out to G. Puggioni for showing us around this city and for lots of tips to make this guide great including the beautiful pictures. We are thankful. Wow, Padua looks like such a pretty place! From Roman ruins and medieval walls to Renaissance frescoes and Liberty style architecture, Padua in Italy is a place where people have lived and created for over three millennia.

Every walk you take around the town will bring you to sights of great historic and artistic importance. For example, in Padua, you can see the houses in which the polymath Galileo Galilei and the sculptor Donatello lived, the street on which the renowned architect Andrea Palladio was born and the basilica in which Elena Cornaro Piscopia — the first woman with a PhD in the world — was laid to rest.

Padua is a very curious city in so that both scientific innovation and religious tradition have flourished here over the centuries independently of one another. In fact, the University of Padua is one of the leading higher education institutions in Europe. This made it possible to completely re-evaluate the then-available knowledge about human anatomy and huge progress was made in terms of medicine as a science.

Its portico is covered with the crests of former students and daily guided tours take eager visitors to the rooms where science was moulded and shaped for many centuries. At the same time, Padua is the centre of the cult of St. Or Il Santo as the Saint is lovingly referred to locally. Make sure that you put at least an hour aside for the splendid Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua.

This is a richly decorated and rather large church with countless Christian relics and priceless works of art. The lovely cloisters, the on-site museums and the different chapels here make the visit to the basilica an unmissable experience for every visitor to Padua, Italy.

In addition, the city is rich in churches — both large and small. Each of them has countless stories to tell. From the:. From multinational high fashion and high-street favourites to historic shops that have been in business for dozens if not hundreds of years, you will be spoilt for choice. Cosmetics, jewellery, and fashion stores stand side-by-side with shops specialised in rare prints, haberdashery, and priceless antics.

There are also many art galleries and bookshops selling new and vintage editions. Soon, you will find yourself very much in love with dozens of drawings, paintings, rare jewellery pieces, daring outfits, imaginative textiles. Budget accordingly! In addition, the daily market on Piazza dei Signori Sundays excluded and the regularly held bric-a-brac and vintage markets on Prato della Valle give you a chance to shop for bags, clothes, and all sorts of knick-knacks at pocket-friendly prices.

For maximum and quick exposure to shopping opportunities in Padua in Italy, go for a walk along:. So, there is vibrant nightlife here and there are lots of places to head to when the sun comes down.

The Italian aperitivo hour is when the city gets really lively, especially on a balmy evening. Countless cafes and bars line the main squares in town — Piazza delle Erbe , Piazza della Frutta , and Piazza dei Signori.

In the late afternoons and early evenings of the hot months, countless tables and chairs are placed alfresco. Families and groups of friends come out in droves, all nicely dressed up, and ready to relax after a long day. Chatter and music fill the air. Tall glasses clink and clank. Kids run around. Tall historic buildings overlook this beautiful Italian scene.

Make sure that you take part! Gran Teatro Geox is the place to head to in Padua for concerts by world-famous singers and bands as well as for musical theatre performances touring Europe.