Padua (Pàdova, Pàdoa, formerly also Pàva in Veneto; Patavium in
Latin) is an Italian town of 208 874 inhabitants, capital of the
province of the same name in Veneto. It is the third largest
municipality in the region by population after Verona and Venice and
the most densely populated; it constitutes the fulcrum of the most
populous metropolitan area of Veneto, with approximately 407,000
inhabitants.
According to the Virgilian Aeneid, the city was
born at the hands of Antenore, a Trojan prince (Virgil, Aeneid,
1,247 - 249), in the year 1185 BC, a tradition that makes Padua one
of the oldest cities in the peninsula, and the most ancient of
Veneto. Although the foundation is legendary, archaeological data
have confirmed the ancient origin of the city, which developed
between the 13th and 11th centuries BC. and linked to the
civilization of the ancient Venetians.
The city was one of
the cultural capitals of the fourteenth century: the pictorial
evidence of the fourteenth century - among them, the cycle of Giotto
at the Scrovegni Chapel - make it a crucial node in the development
of Western art. The fourteenth-century artistic splendor was one of
the fruits of the great cultural fervor favored by the lordship of
the Carraresi that made Padua one of the main centers of
prehumanism. In Padua, between the fourteenth century and the
fifteenth century, an imposing cultural current devoted to antiquity
developed in conjunction with Florence that will turn into the
Paduan Renaissance, and will influence the artistic team of the
entire northern Italy of the fifteenth century. Since 1222 it has
been home to a prestigious university which ranks among the oldest
in the world.
Episcopal seat at the head of one of the
largest and most ancient dioceses in Italy is universally known also
as the city of the Saint, the name with which Saint Anthony is
called in Padua, the famous Portuguese Franciscan, born in Lisbon in
1195, who lived in city for a few years and died there on June 13,
1231. The remains of the saint are preserved in the Basilica of
Sant'Antonio, an important pilgrimage destination for Christianity
and one of the main monuments in the city. Antonio is one of the
four patron saints of the city with Giustina, Prosdocimo and
Daniele. The relics of St Luke, St Matthias and St Leopoldo Mandić
are also venerated in Padua. In 1829, Padua was the seat of the
first Rabbinical Boarding School, an important institution of
Italian Judaism.
In 1524, a space entirely dedicated to
theatrical representations, the Loggia Cornaro, was built in Padua
for the first time after the classical age; while on February 25,
1545 a company of comedians was legally established with a notarial
deed, the first testimony in the world of a company of professional
comedians, the symbolic birth of the Commedia dell'Arte. The Taming
of the Shrew, a comedy by William Shakespeare, is set in Padua.
Padua is located to the east in the Po Valley, about 10 km north of
the Euganean Hills and about 20 km west of the Venice Lagoon. The
municipal territory is spread over entirely flat spaces and crossed by
various watercourses, which have given shape and protection to the city
over the centuries. It is crossed by the Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers.
It borders:
to the north with Cadoneghe, Limena, Vigodarzere,
Villafranca Padovana
to the east with Legnaro, Noventa Padovana,
Saonara, Vigonovo, Vigonza
to the west with Abano Terme, Rubano,
Selvazzano Dentro
to the south with Albignasego, Ponte San Nicolò
Padua can be visited at any time of the year. The climate is characterized by a high humidity rate which causes frequent fog in the autumn-winter months and sultry days in the summer months, consequently the best times to visit could be spring or early autumn.
The city is surrounded by a circle of walls and canals, still
partially visible from the ring road. The railway station is located
north of the historic centre: to reach it from the station, just
take Corso del Popolo (opposite) and walk straight on for about ten
minutes.
Some of the main monuments encountered along the
road: crossing the bridge over the Piovego river, the modern
monument Memory and light to the victims of the attacks of 11
September 2001 is visible on the right; to the left stretch the
large Arena Gardens, which house the Scrovegni Chapel in the center
with frescoes by Giotto and, along the road, the remains of a Roman
arena; at the end of the gardens, a little away from the road on the
left, you can see the Church of the Eremitani with the adjoining
convent, the main seat of the Civic Museums. Continuing straight
along via Garibaldi, on the left side you come across the Palazzo
della Cassa di Risparmio with the modern extension by the architect.
Gio Ponti; shortly after, on the right, Palazzo Zuckermann, another
seat of the civic museums. Crossing Piazza Garibaldi, the medieval
Porta Altinate can be seen on the left; continuing through Piazza
Cavour and taking via VIII February, you can see the church of
Sant'Andrea on the right and immediately after you meet the
monumental Caffè Pedrocchi (on the right), shortly after reaching
the Palazzo del Bo (on the left), the main seat of the 'University;
the large building facing the Bo is Palazzo Moroni, the municipal
seat.
If, on the other hand, you turn left immediately after
Caffè Pedrocchi, you can reach the Palazzo della Ragione, the
ancient seat of the municipality and magistrates. Continuing along
the palace and taking via Fiume, we reach Piazza dei Signori, which
houses various monuments including the Loggia della Gran Guardia (or
Loggia del Consiglio). If you turn left at the end of the square,
you will soon reach Piazza Duomo with the cathedral basilica of the
same name and the Diocesan Museum next to it.
If you decide
to continue straight on via VIII February, continuing on via Roma
and then on via Umberto I, you will cross the entire historic
center, reaching Prato della Valle, on which the Basilica and Abbey
of Santa Giustina are located on the opposite side. Just north of
Prato stands the Basilica del Santo, one of the most famous and
visited sanctuaries in Italy. Nearby is the Botanical Garden, the
oldest in the world still in its original location, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
By plane
The main international airport is Marco Polo in
Tessera-Venice. From the airport buses leave for the Mestre railway
station where it is possible to take the train to Padua, or buses leave
every half hour to reach the Padua bus station directly. Not far away is
also the Treviso airport with several low-cost flights. SITA buses make
the connection between the airport and the Padua bus station at a cost
of €4. Padua also has a civil airport, where, however, only small
tourist planes can land.
By car
A13 A13 Bologna-Padua motorway
A4 The A4 Turin-Milan-Venice-Trieste motorway passes around Padua, and
the exits are quite close to the centre.
To reach Padua in a
sustainable way, you can take advantage of the car pooling service made
available by various sites.
On the train
Padua station (15
minutes on foot from the historic centre). All trains from Milan or
Bologna to Venice stop in Padua. Inside the station there is a left
luggage service.
As in many cities, the station area does not enjoy a
good reputation.
By bike
The city of Padua can be easily
reached by bike from all the capitals of the Veneto region and from all
the major surrounding towns, mainly following the cycling itineraries
along the rivers. The main guidelines are:
From Venice: follow
the Brenta Riviera itinerary, following the old course of the Brenta
river, skirting magnificent villas and beautiful towns such as Mira,
Dolo and Stra. From Stra continue along the course of the Piovego canal,
arriving in the city from the east and joining the cycle path of the
internal river ring in the locality of San Gregorio.
From Chioggia:
first you skirt the lagoon up to Ca'Pasqua and then go up the course of
the Bacchiglione River crossing the towns of Pontelongo, Bovolenta and
Ponte San Nicolò, entering the city from the South-East in the locality
of Voltabarozzo and entering the city ring road along the drain channel.
From Rovigo: go up the Rovigo countryside and the lower Paduan
countryside up to Monselice and then take the embankment road of the
Battaglia Canal, skirting the Euganean Hills and the thermal area of
Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme until you reach Padua in the Mandria
area. Continuing along the Battaglia canal up to Bassanello it is
possible to enter the city along the urban cycling itineraries.
From
Vicenza: follow the course of the Bacchiglione river, to reach the city
from the west, entering the municipal area in the Brusegana area and
continuing along the river as far as the Bassanello area, where you can
detour towards the city center along the city cycle paths.
From
Bassano del Grappa: descend along the cycle path of the Brenta River,
crossing Piazzola sul Brenta and Limena until you reach the river ring
from the North-West at Ponte Vigodarzere.
From Asolo: follow the
itinerary of the Sentiero degli Ezzelini up to Castelfranco Veneto and
then the Cammino di Sant'Antonio, always skirting the course of the
Muson dei Sassi stream, crossing the town of Camposampiero and reaching
Padua from the north in the Ponte Vigodarzere locality .
From
Treviso: take the cycling route of the former Treviso-Ostiglia railway
up to Camposampiero, then take the Cammino di Sant'Antonio along the
Muson dei Sassi.
A large part of the center is a pedestrian or limited traffic area,
so the best solution is to get around on foot or by bicycle, also
because the main tourist attractions are all located in this area.
By public transport
An urban ticket for APS public transport
buses costs €1.30 (June 2020) the cost rises to €2.00 if purchased on
board. Discounts for families: there is a Family Ticket for €3.00, valid
for 6 hours from validation every day on the 1st section of the urban
network for a family made up of a maximum of 5 people, including 3
children up to 12 years of age. There cannot be more than two adults,
but in the case of only one adult there can be up to 4 children. Further
information can be found on the busitalia website.
There is a
tram line running from the station through the center to the southern
districts of the city.
By car
Traveling by car in the central
Padua area is not recommended. The more central car parks are quite
expensive and often full. At reasonable prices there is Padova Centro
Park (silos) which can be used by the hour (€ 1.20/h) or for a whole day
(€ 16). A valid alternative is to park in peripheral areas and take the
tram. If you come from outside Padua, the Park Guizza is very convenient
(exit 10 of the ring road, a few minutes from the Padova Ovest exit of
the A4) which is located next to the terminus of the tram, which takes
you in about ten minutes in the city. Tickets are on sale at the bar.
Parking fee: €1/day. (June 2020)
Peace Park. €1.00 or fraction
thereof. Half day: €3.50. Full day: €6.00 (Aug 2021). Mon-Sat 7am-9pm.
With guided tours
The City Sightseeing bus service is also
available for tourists.
By bike
One of the best ways to get
around the city is by bicycle. The city has a network of cycle paths of
about 170 km and is used by more than 50,000 people every day, including
thousands of students attending the University. A map, albeit not
updated, of the city network can be found on the website of the
Municipality of Padua. If you do not have your own bicycle, you can use
one of the two city bike sharing services:
Movì by Mobike:
free-flow service, which has 800 bikes in the city at the basic price of
€1/20 min or with various season tickets available that can be used via
a dedicated app.
Goodbike: made up of a network of 25 release
stations distributed mainly near the historic centre, it has 250 bikes,
of which 50 with pedal assistance that can be used with an electronic
card or app.
The Bicipolitana, a project for the extension and
reorganization of the city's cycle path network, is being studied and
built in the city.
The monumental apparatus (in the broadest sense) of the urban
context, as it is now offered to the observation of the visitor, largely
testifies to the various phases of the historical events of Padua.
If, in fact, there is no longer any trace of the (supposed)
prehistoric-legendary origins, every other chronological phase has left
tangible manifestations in as many salient and characteristic places,
starting from the Roman Arena, passing through the various walls,
medieval towers , noble palaces, churches and other places of worship
(Christian and otherwise), symbolic buildings of civil power, temples of
culture (the Bo, the Botanical Garden), up to avant-garde architecture
expressions (such as, for example , Daniel Libeskind's New York Twin
Towers War Memorial, or the Net Tower).
1 Basilica of Sant'Antonio (Basilica del Santo), Piazza del Santo, 11
(Tram: SANTO stop. Bus n. n. 3, 12, 16, 18, 22: RIVIERA BUSINELLO stop),
☎ +39 049 8225652, infobasilica@santantonio. org. Free entry. Every day
from 6.20 to 19.45 (18.45 on winter weekdays). The Basilica del Santo is
the papal seat and is an international sanctuary visited by almost 5,000
people a year.
The basilica was begun in 1232 to house the tomb of
the Franciscan friar Antonio (who died in Padua in 1231).
In the
month of June there are several demonstrations, in particular on the
13th which is the day of the commemoration of the death of Saint
Anthony. On this day there is a famous and crowded procession that runs
through the city center and sees the participation of many categories of
workers and associations, each with its own banners and clothing.
The
basilica as we see it now is not the result of the original project but
is the result of a series of restorations and embellishments that have
become necessary over the centuries. The peculiarities of the church are
the domes, arranged in the shape of a cross, probably a reference to the
basilica of San Marco. The various interventions that have followed have
helped to create a harmony of very different styles: Gothic for the
buttresses, Romanesque for the facade, Byzantine for the domes as well
as an Islamic influence as regards the twin towers which recall the
architecture of the minarets. The interior also reflects this artistic
variety.
The Basilica is full of works of art of considerable value
and value.
For an in-depth artistic visit, you can consult the
interesting website of the Basilica or book a guided tour at the
information office in the churchyard of the Basilica.
If you want to
proceed with a quick visit by yourself, you must not miss:
The Chapel
of Sant'Antonio or Cappella dell'Arca (the first chapel on the left). In
the center stands the altar (by Tiziano Aspetti) where the remains of
the Saint rest. On the sides of the altar there are two beautiful
candelabra (12th century). In the Chapel you can walk around the altar,
the faithful can place a hand on the dark marble on the back of the
altar, say a prayer or ask something from the Saint. Nine marble reliefs
are arranged on the walls of the chapel, representing scenes from the
life and miracles of Saint Anthony.
The Chapel of the Black Madonna
where Sant'Antonio celebrated masses.
Chapel dedicated to Blessed
Luca Belludi, protector of students.
Chapel of the relics where the
tongue of the Saint is also found.
High altar with bronzes by
Donatello.
Chapel of San Francesco which resembles a cave open to the
sky.
The Basilica del Santo is a monument accessible to all. An
accessibility guide is available for people with physical or cognitive
disabilities.
2 Scrovegni Chapel, Piazza Eremitani, 8, ☎ +39 049
2010020. Full price €14 (+€1 for booking), reduced from €6 to €10 (June
2020). Attention, in the event of a delay compared to the booked time
slot, it will not be possible to enter without booking another available
time slot and paying for the ticket again. Mon-Sun 09:00-19:00. In
Padua, inside the public gardens of the Arena, there is the Scrovegni
Chapel. It is part of the Eremitani museum complex which also includes
the Civic Museums and the church of the Eremitani. Since 2021 the
frescoes have been a World Heritage Site. To access the Chapel you need
to enter the civic museum, where the ticket office is located. The visit
to the chapel is organized in shifts of a maximum of 25 people, and
reservations are required. The visitor will have to stop in the clearing
room for 15 minutes, time necessary for the stabilization of the
internal microclimate. He will then access the Chapel for another 15
minutes. The visit has a total duration of about 30 minutes.
The
Chapel was built in the 1300s at the behest of Enrico Scrovegni, and is
known for the frescoes by Giotto painted between 1303 and 1305. It is
just over twenty meters long and eight meters wide. The exterior is very
simple, with an elegant mullioned window in the facade and tall windows
in the south wall. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Chapel
consists of a single rectangular nave which ends at the end of the
presbytery with the sarcophagus of Enrico Scrovegni. Inside you can
admire the frescoes by Giotto with the first attempts at a perspective
effect and the representation of human feelings: pain, joy, amazement,
sadness. Giotto, a great novelty for the time, tried to imitate people's
expressions as realistically as possible with drawing and also with
color.
The frescoes, recently restored, are very delicate, which is
why visits are limited.
The way to read the paintings has a
horizontal and spiral pattern. They are arranged in three levels (three
rows arranged one above the other). The stories narrated are those of
the parents of Maria, Anna and Gioacchino, of Maria and of Jesus Christ.
The pictorial cycle begins with the first scene at the top left on the
south wall (the one with the windows that you find opposite when
entering the chapel) with the Expulsion of Joachim from the Temple.
Reading continues horizontally to the right, then passes to the opposite
wall, then again to the wall with windows, but to the line below, and so
on.
An accessibility guide is available for people with physical or
cognitive disabilities.
3 Basilica and Abbey of Santa Giustina,
Prato della Valle. Free entry. Summer: Mon-Sat 7:30-12:00 and
15:00-20:00, Sun and public holidays 6:30-13:00 and 15:00-20:00. Winter:
Mon-Sat 8:00-12:00 and 15:00-20:00, Sun and public holidays 8:00-13:00
and 15:00-20:00. The Basilica boasts the ninth place in the world for
dimensions (122 m in length). It was built by the patrician Opilione in
the 5th century on the site of the martyrdom of Saint Justina. “It must
have been bright and seemed to shine”, so say testimonies of the time,
because the building and the floor were all decorated with mosaics. A
fragment can be seen in the "Corridor of the Martyrs" which leads to the
Sacellum of San Prosdocimo. An earthquake, however, destroyed it in
1117. It was rebuilt in Romanesque-Gothic style and then, in 1502, the
church was demolished to give life to today's structure. The new
building was built between 1532 and 1579 by various architects, the most
significant being Andrea Moroni.
The facade is unadorned, there are
four marble sculptures with the symbols of the evangelists (the ox, the
lion, the eagle and the angel). The domes on the top are a bright light
color and seem to light up when the sun is out. The Basilica is in the
form of a Latin cross and has three naves.
Not to be missed:
The
beautiful altars in the Chapels of the Saints in the side aisles
Chapel of San Luca, at the end of the left aisle. The remains of the
holy evangelist are kept here, except for the skull which is kept in
Krakow (Poland). Here you can admire the oldest Marian image of Padua,
the Icon of the Constantinopolitan Madonna.
In the presbytery: an
altarpiece by Veronese representing the martyrdom of Saint Justina and
the Coro Grande, one of the most important wooden structures in the
world.
Corridor of the Martyrs
Sacellum of San Prosdocimo (Early
Christian art)
Tomb of Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, the first
female graduate in the world (can only be visited with a guide)
Old
choir with its precious inlays and friezes, inserted in a beautiful room
that was part of the old Romanesque church. The floor of the hall in the
altar area originates from the 12th century as does the statue of Santa
Giustina in the upper right corner. Above the choir, on the right wall,
there is a very particular clock. It is a Benedictine clock, divided
into 6 hours. The day of the Benedictine monks is in fact marked by 4
periods of 6 hours each.
The cloisters.
An accessibility guide is
available for people with physical or cognitive disabilities.
4
Baptistery of the Cathedral, Piazza del Duomo, ☎ +39 049 656914. full
price €3, reduced price €2. Mon-Sun 10am-6pm. From the 12th century, it
houses the medieval frescoes by Giusto de' Menabuoi.
5 Church of
Santa Margherita (Oratory of Santa Margherita), via San Francesco, 51.
Free admission. November-April: Mon-Fri 9:45-11:45 and 16:00-18:00, Sat
16:00-18:00; May-October: Mon-Fri 9:45-11:45 and 16:30-18:30, Sat
16:30-18:30. Built on the site of an ancient oratory, the Venetian
architect Tommaso Temanza designed the harmonious facade in Istrian
stone in 1748, which in its sober structure already heralds neoclassical
features. Inside, the 16 representations of winged Putti arranged like
the pages of a book are of particular interest.
6 Oratory of San
Giorgio. Adjacent to the better known Basilica Antoniana, is the family
funeral chapel established by the will of the "Carrarese" leader
Raimondino Lupi di Soragna. Construction began in 1377 and ended in
1384. It is notable above all for the presence of a cycle of frescoes
attributed to Altichiero whose historical-artistic importance is
comparable only to the famous Giottos by Scrovegni.
7 School of
Charity (Sala della Carità), Via San Francesco, 61-63. Free entry.
November-April: Tues 10am-12pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-12pm and 4pm-6pm;
May-October: Tues 10am-12pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-12pm and 4.30pm-6.30pm. It
was the seat of the Confraternity of Charity, one of the most important
and oldest in Padua. The Sala, with a rectangular plan, dates back to
the first half of the fifteenth century and presents a cycle of frescoes
from 1579 on the life of the Virgin by Dario Varotari, a Veronese
painter and architect, father of Padovanino.
8 School of the
Saint (Scoletta del Santo). It houses the Archconfraternity of
Sant'Antonio. It dates back to 1427, but underwent important
modifications in 1504. It is famous for the works of the following
artists: Antonio Bonazza, Giovanni Gloria, Francesco Vecellio, Tiziano,
Girolamo del Santo, Filippo da Verona, Bartolomeo Montagna, Giovanni
Antonio Corona, Andrea Briosco, and several others.
9 Redentore
School (Oratorio del Redentore, Scoletta del Redentore), via Vittorio
Emanuele.
10 Basilica del Carmine (the Carmines).
11
Carmelite School, Piazza Petrarca.
12 Sanctuary of San Leopoldo
Mandic (church of the Transfiguration), Piazzale Santa Croce, 44, ☎ +39
0498802727.
13 Church of the Eremitani (Church of Saints Philip
and James), Piazza Eremitani. free. Mon-Fri 7:30-12:30 and 15:30-19:30,
Sat-Sun 9:00-12:30 and 16:00-19:00. It was built starting from 1264 as
the church of the Order of the Hermits of Saint Augustine who had their
large convent now occupied by the Eremitani Civic Museums. The building,
an extraordinary example of the "classical" style, preserves famous
works of art, including the first pictorial works by Andrea Mantegna in
the Ovetari chapel. The church was heavily hit by an Anglo-American air
raid in 1944.
14 Padua Cathedral (Cathedral Basilica of Santa
Maria Assunta). Cathedral of the city.
15 Church of Santa Lucia
(Church of Corpus Domini or perpetual adoration). Call of Perpetual
Adoration: Its existence is documented as early as the 10th century. As
often occurs, the facade was intensely revised in the eighteenth
century, by Girolamo Frigimelica and Sante Benato. You can admire
masterpieces by: Giovanni Bonazza, Giacomo Ceruti, Giambattista Tiepolo,
Domenico Campagnola, Sassoferrato, Antonio De Pieri, Padovanino.
16 School of San Rocco (Oratory of San Rocco), Via Santa Lucia.
Sixteenth-century building, it stands next to the church of Santa Lucia,
near the street of the same name (very central). It was originally
associated with that saint's brotherhood. The subject of various
restorations, it is embellished with a cycle of frescoes [8]
illustrating the life of San Rocco. It has actually ceased to be an
officiated place of worship for a very long time, and is instead used as
an exhibition space for art exhibitions, usually under the patronage of
the municipality.
17 Church of San Canziano, piazza delle Erbe
(in front of the Palazzo della Ragione (Ghetto side)). The beautiful
little church dating back to the 11th century, but extensively rebuilt
in 1617. Works by: Ludovico di Vernansal, Antonio Bonazza, Padovanino,
Andrea Briosco, Pietro Damini, Giovambattista Bissoni.
18 Church
of San Clemente, Piazza dei Signori. It is one of the first churches in
Padua; it was the seat of merchants' branches. The facade was remodeled
relatively late (1599). It boasts works by Jacopo Bellini, Pietro
Damini, Francesco Zanella, Giovanni Battista Rossi, Luca Ferrari, Giulio
Cirello.
19 Church of San Daniele (a few steps from the famous
Prato). This graceful and cozy building from 1706 overlooks a
fifteenth-century building which is said to be the birthplace of Angelo
Beolco, known as il Ruzzante (1496-1542). The church in question
preserves 17th-18th century paintings and statues.
20 Church of
Santa Sofia, Via Santa Sofia, 102. The church of Santa Sapienza is one
of the oldest in Padua, and was built between 1106 and 1127 on a
previous early Christian church, which in turn was built on top of an
ancient pagan temple, while the roof is from the 14th century; it
contains works up to the 15th century, including the Virgin with the
dead Christ by the sculptor Egidio da Wiener Neustadt, and also
contained the lost first altarpiece by Mantegna; the crypt, unfinished,
follows that of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice.
21 Church of
San Francesco Grande. It dates back to 1416, but was not completed
before the 16th century, and perhaps even Lorenzo da Bologna was at
work. Structurally it consists of three naves, and contains pieces by
Paolo Veronese, Pietro Damini, Girolamo del Santo, Luca Ferrari,
Bartolomeo Bellano, Andrea Briosco and many other artists. It is located
near the former hospital of San Francesco, a building that should house
the Museum of the History of Medicine.
22 Church of San Cajetan
(church of Saints Simon and Judas).
23 Church of San Massimo
(Chapel of San Massimo), via San Massimo. It draws its origins from the
thirteenth century, although it has undergone numerous alterations in
more recent times. The facade is from the 18th century. In addition to
various archaeological finds (Roman and Paleo-Venetian), it boasts three
paintings by Giambattista Tiepolo. The remains of the great physician
Giambattista Morgagni (1682-1771) and of the great scientist Domenico
Guglielmini rest there.
24 Former Church of Sant'Agnese, Via
Dante Alighieri, 61 (at the crossroads with the very central Via Dante).
Now abandoned, you can still see the ancient church (bell tower from the
13th century, clearly Romanesque in style), with a Renaissance portal
and statue of the saint by Zuan Padovano.
25 Sanctuary of Arcella
(Sant'Antonino). It stands on the site where the body of the Saint was
placed upon his death (1231). At the time, the burial in question was
part of a Poor Clares monastery, devastated by fire in 1509. The current
temple is the result of various architectural interventions (1840, 1886
and 1931), but still contains the ark of Saint Anthony.
26 Church
of Ognissanti, via Ognissanti. Already mentioned in 1147, it was however
completely rebuilt (with the exception of the apse and the Romanesque
bell tower) in 1509 by Vincenzo Scamozzi.
27 Church of Santa
Maria del Torresino (Church of Santa Maria del Pianto).
Seventeenth-century Baroque masterpiece by Girolamo Frigimelica, it
boasts pieces by Tommaso Bonazza, Antonio Bonazza, Giovanni Bonazza,
Carlo Scarpa.
28 Oratorio di San Michele, Piazzetta San Michele,
☎ +39 049 660836. 1 Oct to 31 May: Tue-Fri 10am-1pm, Sat-Sun 3pm-6pm. 1
Jun to 30 Sep: Tue-Fri 10am-1pm, Sat-Sun 4pm-7pm. Built on the ruins of
a very ancient church (970), it was originally decorated with multiple
frescoes - by Jacopo da Verona, 1397 - of which only an Epiphany is
conserved in its original location, however notable also on a historical
level, since (according to a very widespread in the practice of courtly
commissioning) there are depicted, among the characters of the sacred
pictorial representation, several Da Carrara princes. Other paintings
have been removed from those walls, and can be admired in the Civic
Museum (see infra). In the sacristy, at least, a Madonna is worthy of
note, thought to be the work of Giovanni da Bologna.
29 Oratory
of San Giorgio, Piazza del Santo, ☎ +39 049 8225652. Tue-Sun 9:00-13:00
and 14:00-18:00. Ticket office at the Information Office of the
Basilica.
30 Prato della Valle. Spectacular round square which with its 88,620
m² is among the largest in Europe. The square is characterized by the
central island Isola Memmia surrounded by a canal adorned with 78
statues of well-known historical figures.
It is a symbol of Padua and
the Paduans simply call it "Prato". It hosts an extensive market every
Saturday and fruit and vegetable stalls every morning. You can also
admire spectacular fireworks on December 31st and August 15th. It is
home to various initiatives and events, such as the Marathon of
Sant'Antonio di Padova which takes place every year in April.
The
square was designed by Andrea Memmo, Superintendent of Venice in Padua
from 1775 to 1776. Memmo, a Venetian aristocrat and traveller, was an
eclectic character, cultured and passionate about architecture, an
excellent politician and public administrator, protector of Lorenzo Da
Ponte (the Mozart's librettist, he wrote the lyrics for operas such as
the Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni). During his stay in Padua,
Memmo lived in Palazzo Angeli (building on the corner of Prato and via
Umberto I, now the seat of the Precinema Museum).
Until the
mid-1700s, Prato della Valle had the main value of its vastness, the
ruins of a Roman theater and the Basilica and monastery of Santa
Giustina. Despite being a receptacle for stagnant waters at various
times of the year, Prato della Valle hosted numerous festivals which
were considered a center of great attraction for commerce, so much so
that the city shops closed their doors to move to temporary tents and
shacks in Prato. The races with saddle horses were also traditional,
followed over time by races with chariots and light wagons, the famous
Padovanelle, ancestors of the current sulky.
Andrea Memmo in 1775
transformed it into a place of peace and beauty that all citizens could
enjoy thanks to the creation of a central island surrounded by an
elliptical artificial canal surrounded by a double ring of statues. The
island was built through the transport of 10,000 carts of soil which
served to fill the central depression of the meadow and to prevent the
stagnation of water and the swamping that periodically affected the
area. Transformed into a garden that reflected the Enlightenment ideals
of its creator, the island immediately took on the name of Memmia.
The statues have a particular history as they were used to pay for the
very expensive works for the construction of the square as we see it
now. In addition to the cost of the statue, the clients had to pay a
considerable sum to the city to be able to put it on a pedestal.
The
statues had to respect precise rules:
they had to represent
characters who had somehow brought prestige to the city of Padua and/or
its University, through poetry, the arts, science, medicine, astronomy,
politics, military enterprises, etc.;
they did not have to represent
male and female saints, there was already room for them in the churches;
all the characters represented must have been deceased.
There is only
one exception: the statue representing Canova was placed when the artist
was still alive, but in the attitude of sculpting, in turn, a statue
representing an already dead Venetian procurator.
At the time there
was a competition and a certain rivalry between the various noble
families of Padua in order to have their own statue in Prato. Therefore,
among the 78 statues, in addition to characters who brought prestige to
the city, there are also Paduan nobles who have not distinguished
themselves in particular for the arts, medicine, astronomy, etc.
There are only two female characters!
Prato della Valle is a monument
accessible to all. An accessibility guide is available for people with
physical or cognitive disabilities.
31 Botanical Garden, Via
dell'Orto Botanico, ☎ +39 049 8273939, info@ortobotanicopd.it. €10,
reduced from €5 to €8. From April to September: Tue-Sun 09:00-19:00.
October: Tue-Sun 9am-6pm. November-March: Tue-Sun 9am-5pm (June 2020).
The oldest University Botanical Garden in the world with its original
location, founded in 1545, a UNESCO heritage site since 1997 as "The
Padua Botanical Garden is at the origin of all the botanical gardens in
the world and represents the cradle of science, scientific exchanges and
the understanding of the relationship between nature and culture. It has
largely contributed to the progress of numerous modern scientific
disciplines, in particular botany, medicine, chemistry, ecology and
pharmacy". A trip to the Botanical Garden is worth taking in all
seasons, but certainly spring and the beginning of summer arouse greater
wonder; it is the moment of flowering and rebirth of the plants.
The
Botanical Garden is divided into two main parts: the first, from the
entrance, is the ancient one dedicated to exotic and local plants, with
more than 6000 specimens and 3500 species divided into medicinal,
insectivorous, poisonous, succulent, aquatic and ornamental plants . The
second houses the "Garden of biodiversity" made up of new technological
greenhouses inaugurated in September 2014.
Not to be missed in the
old part:
The large oriental plane tree present in the Garden since
1680, with a hollow trunk apparently due to a lightning strike.
The
medicinal garden, a circular structure with an inscribed square, divided
into four smaller squares by two perpendicular avenues. Medicinal plants
are grown here. In the past, these rare and precious plants were stolen,
which is why this part of the garden is enclosed by a wall. Later it was
embellished with a beautiful balustrade with elegant Istrian stone
columns. There are fountains in the center of each quarter and one at
the intersection of the walkways.
Goethe's Palm, in the north-east
sector and enclosed in an octagonal greenhouse. It dates back to 1585.
Known by this name because the great man of letters dedicated a study to
it during his trip to Italy in September 1786.
The Biodiversity
Garden
This part of the garden develops inside futuristic greenhouses
built to have a low environmental impact and to make the most of solar
energy. This structure is 110 meters long, 42 wide and 18 high at its
northernmost point. Inside there are about 1300 different species
grouped by climatic zones. Entering the greenhouses, one begins a
journey through the natural biomes of the planet, from tropical zones to
sub-humid zones, from temperate zones to desert ones. The greenhouses
can be visited from the ground floor and first floor.
In addition to
the plants, in the greenhouses there are paths that tell the story of
the evolution of plants and interactive paths suitable for everyone.
The Botanical Garden of Padua is an accessible place with paths for the
blind. An accessibility guide is available for people with physical or
cognitive disabilities.
32 Caffè Pedrocchi, Via VIII February 15,
☎ +39 049 8781231. The historic café in Padua. Open day and night until
1916 and therefore also known as the "Caffè without doors", for over a
century it was a prestigious meeting point frequented by intellectuals,
students, academics and politicians. On February 8, 1848, the wounding
of a university student inside the club gave rise to the Italian
Risorgimento uprisings. The Green Room, characterized by a large mirror
placed above the fireplace, was traditionally intended for those who
wanted to sit down and read the newspapers without having to consume. It
has therefore been the favorite meeting place of penniless students and
in Padua the way of saying "being broke" can be traced back to this
custom.
The Museo del Risorgimento is housed on the main floor.
33 La Specola, Vicolo dell'Osservatorio 5, ☎ +39 049 8293469. Full
price €7, reduced price €5 (tickets can be bought at the Oratorio di S.
Michele, 50 m from the museum). In 1242 the high tower was used by the
tyrant Ezzelino III da Romano to keep prisoners locked up. In 1761 the
Senate of the Republic of Venice issued the decree providing for the
establishment of the Astronomical Observatory of the University of
Padua, so in 1777 the tower became an "astronomical specula". The museum
now houses ancient astronomy instruments.
34 Loggia and Odeo
Cornaro (Palazzo Cornaro), Via Melchiorre Cesarotti, 37. is an
architectural complex built by Alvise Cornaro in Padua in the first half
of the 16th century. La Loggia was born as a consequence of the
humanistic interest in ancient theatre. The works of Angelo Beolco known
as il Ruzante, who was superintendent and trusted man of Alvise Cornaro,
were represented there. This "forum Cornaro" which faithfully reproduces
the classical orders was designed by the architect and painter Giovanni
Maria Falconetto in 1524 and was specially designed to hold theatrical
performances. It is in fact a sort of backdrop without depth and had the
function of scenic space (stage and theatrical background). However, the
apparatus of classical forms, even if correct, does not give life to
three-dimensionally articulated facades; in fact, the niches and
pilasters are slightly detached from the wall surface and the
relationship between the Doric columns on the ground floor and the Ionic
pilasters on the upper floor is not resolved in the loggia. The
octagonal room located in the center of the Odeo is made up of
rectilinear walls alternating with niches: we find very similar rooms in
the part of Nero's Domus Aurea which had only been discovered at the
beginning of the century. Some scholars, such as Ludovico Zorzi in his
Il teatro e la città (1977), have suggested the idea that the room
should have been used to host music concerts.
35 Loggia dei
Carraresi (Reggia Carrarese), via Accademia, 7, ☎ +39 049 8763820. Free.
Wed-Sat 10:00-12:30, closed in August. It constitutes the last fully
surviving part of the Reggia Carrarese, the great residence of the Da
Carrara, lords of Padua. The Royal Palace complex, built between 1339
and 1343, included a Western Palace (older) and a Eastern Palace,
connected to each other by a central building and with a large internal
courtyard which roughly corresponded to today's Piazza Capitaniato . The
so-called ferry to the walls departed from the Palazzo di Ponente, an
elevated passage, which can also be traveled on horseback, which
connected the Reggia to the walls, the Castle and the Torlonga. This
allowed the Lord an easier movement, and also a greater possibility of
escape in case of danger.
36 Clock Tower, entrance from Piazza
Capitaniato, 19. Free admission, for groups. Wed, Fri and Sat
9:30-11:45. The clock tower is one of the symbols of the Carrara era.
With its mechanism, it offered a point of reference for the daily life
of the city and beyond in the 14th century. The clock is a faithful copy
of the mechanism and functioning of that of Jacopo Dondi and still
maintains its original shape and functioning today.
37 Villa
Molin, via Ponte della Cagna, 106, Padua herd. Renaissance Venetian
villa.
38 Palazzo del Bo, Via VIII February 2. Full price €5, reduced price
€3.50. Mon-Sat only in certain time slots. Historic headquarters of the
University of Padua. The ancient courtyard is adorned with numerous
coats of arms, placed there until the end of the seventeenth century by
students and those who held academic positions. At the foot of one of
the two staircases leading to the upper loggia is the statue dedicated
to Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, the first female graduate in the
world, who graduated in philosophy in Padua in 1678. In the new
courtyard there is instead the monument of Jannis Kounellis created in
1995 to commemorate the contribution of the University of Padua to the
Resistance and the War of Liberation in Italy, for which it was awarded
- the only university in Italy - the gold medal for military valor.
Palazzo Bo houses the oldest stable anatomical theater in the world
still preserved and the prestigious Aula Magna where Galileo Galilei
also taught. The chair of the famous scientist is kept in the room
adjacent to the Aula Magna, the Sala dei Quaranta, so called due to the
40 portraits of illustrious foreigners who studied or taught in Padua.
39 Loggia Amulea, Prato della Valle. The building was the seat of the
Padua fire brigade from 1906 to 1989; later it houses some municipal
offices. The front of the building is characterized by an elegant
loggia; civil marriages are sometimes celebrated in the room adjacent to
the large balcony.
40 Palazzo del Capitanio, Piazza Capitaniato, 3.
Ancient seat of the city rector, it stands on the remains of the Carrara
palace. It bears a triumphal arch, the work of Falconetto (1532), which
in turn embeds the famous clock that overlooks Piazza dei Signori: a
symbol of the city.
41 Palazzo Capodilista, Via Umberto I, 66. From
the 13th century. It still has medieval battlements and a tower.
42
Palazzo del Monte di Pietà Nuovo, Piazza del Duomo. Current headquarters
of the Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo Foundation.
43 Palazzo
del Monte di Pietà Vecchio (dei Montivecchi), Via Dante.
44 Palazzo
Liviano, piazza Capitaniato.
45 Palazzo Angeli, Prato della Valle, 1.
46 Palazzo Maldura.
47 Palazzo Zabarella, via S. Francesco, 27.
48
Palazzo Cavalli at the Porte Contarine (Palazzo Cavalli agli Eremitani),
via Giotto, 1.
49 Palazzo Mussato, via Concariola.
50 Grimani
Palace, Prato della Valle.
Palazzo Papafava dei Carraresi, via
Marsala.
51 Palazzo Pisani de Lazzara, Riviera S. Benedetto.
Palazzo Zacco al Prà, Prato della Valle, 82.
52 Medieval walls (walls). From the medieval period onwards, the city
has had three circles of walls that fortified the city over time.
The
first circle, built between 1195 and 1210, is that of the so-called
"municipal" walls because they were erected during the period of the
free Paduan municipality. It surrounded the most central part of the
city, the so-called "insula" because it was entirely surrounded by
canals (today partially disappeared). Three gates remain of this circle:
two of them still passable today (Molino gate, Altinate gate, Cittadella
Vecchia gate) while a third was incorporated into the Castelvecchio
structures in the fourteenth century. Furthermore, numerous sections of
the walls remain along the ancient route, often incorporated in modern
buildings.
During the fourteenth century, with the expansion of the
urbanized areas, the so-called "Carraresi" walls were built at various
times because they were built largely during the lordship of the Da
Carraras. Very few visible remains of these walls remain, and they are
mostly incorporated into other Renaissance buildings and fortifications.
These medieval walls resisted, with appropriate adaptations, the siege
that Padua suffered in 1509 by the troops of the League of Cambrai.
Following this siege, the Serenissima decided to equip the city with a
new circle of walls suitable for resisting the introduction of artillery
into war techniques. The works began in 1513 and continued until around
the middle of the 16th century. This circle is still almost entirely
existing, albeit in different states of conservation depending on the
various stretches. Its perimeter is about 11 kilometers, with 20
bastions and 6 gates (out of the original 8). These walls are usually
referred to as "Venetian" or "Renaissance".
53 Tomb of Antenore,
Piazza Antenore. The tomb of Antenore is a medieval shrine which,
according to tradition, should contain the remains of the mythical
founder of Padua.
54 Roman arena, Piazza Eremitani, 8. Remains of the
amphitheater from the imperial age (60-70), which in the Middle Ages had
been transformed into a fortress, which later became the seat of Palazzo
Scrovegni (now demolished) and the adjacent Scrovegni Chapel, and which
has been one of the main public gardens since 1902.
55 Arco
Valaresso, via Arco Valaresso and Piazza del Duomo.
56 Porta Molino
(Gate of the Mills).
57 Porta Altinate (Ponte Altinà Gate).
58
Gate of the Old Citadel.
59 Palazzo Zuckermann, Corso Garibaldi 33, ☎ +39 049 8204513,
Musei@comune.padova.it. Full price €13, reduced from €5 to €10,
cumulative with the Scrovegni Chapel and the Eremitani Civic Museums.
Tue-Sun 10am-7pm. Museum of Applied and Decorative Arts, and Bottacin
Museum.
60 Palazzo della Ragione, via VIII February. Visitor entrance
from the "Scala delle Erbe" in piazza delle Erbe, ☎ +39 049 8205006,
Musei@comune.padova.it. Full price €6, reduced from €4 to €2. Tue-Sun
09:00-18:00 (from February to October until 19:00). Which dates back to
1218. The building is located in Piazza delle Erbe, also home to the
city market. Inside there is a hall with a cycle of frescoes with an
astrological subject created in the first half of the fifteenth century
by Niccolò Miretto.
61 Musei Civici Eremitani, Piazza Eremitani, ☎
+39 049 8204551, fax: +39 049 8204585, Musei@comune.padova.it. Full
price €10, reduced price €8, the ticket is cumulative with the Scrovegni
Chapel. Tue-Sun 09:00-19:00.
62 MUSME (Museum of the History of
Medicine), Via San Francesco 94. It is a museum of the history of
medicine recently opened to the public (2015). In its three floors it
illustrates the evolution of medical science over the centuries, with a
focus on the history of medicine in the University of Padua.
From the medieval period onwards, the city has had three circles of
walls that fortified the city over time.
The first circle, built
between 1195 and 1210, is that of the so-called "municipal" walls
because they were erected during the period of the free Paduan
municipality. It surrounded the most central part of the city, the
so-called "insula" because it was entirely surrounded by canals (today
partially disappeared). Three gates remain of this circle: two of them
still passable today (Molino gate, Altinate gate, Cittadella Vecchia
gate) while a third was incorporated into the Castelvecchio structures
in the fourteenth century. Furthermore, numerous sections of the walls
remain along the ancient route, often incorporated in modern buildings.
During the fourteenth century, with the expansion of the urbanized
areas, the so-called "Carraresi" walls were built at various times
because they were built largely during the lordship of the Da Carraras.
Very few visible remains of these walls remain, and they are mostly
incorporated into other Renaissance buildings and fortifications. These
medieval walls resisted, with appropriate adaptations, the siege that
Padua suffered in 1509 by the troops of the League of Cambrai.
Following this siege, the Serenissima decided to equip the city with a
new circle of walls suitable for resisting the introduction of artillery
into war techniques. The works began in 1513 and continued until around
the middle of the 16th century. This circle is still almost entirely
existing, albeit in different states of conservation depending on the
various stretches. Its perimeter is about 11 kilometers, with 20
bastions and 6 gates (out of the original 8). These walls are usually
referred to as "Venetian" or "Renaissance".
According to data from 2005, the city of Padua can boast 2.5 km² of
public green areas, of which 1.7 km² of equipped green areas (including
playgrounds for children, cycle paths, multi-purpose fields, etc.),
which correspond 2.7% of the municipal area. In 2006 Padua won the first
prize The city for greenery, awarded on the occasion of the Euroflora
event held in Genoa.
Among the green spaces, the Botanical Garden
of Padua stands out, a UNESCO heritage site and the Treves de Bonfili
Park designed by Giuseppe Jappelli.
The "without"
Padua is known for being the city of the "without":
"Saint without a name", because Saint Anthony, whose devotion is
traditionally popular, is commonly called "the Saint" par excellence,
with special reference to the Basilica of the same name;
"Caffè
without doors", because the monumental Caffè Pedrocchi, the historic
local place in the city, until 1916, was open twenty-four hours a day;
"Meadow without grass", because Prato della Valle, a spectacular
"square", the largest in Europe according to some, was actually up to
the end of the eighteenth century, a period in which it assumed its
current layout thanks to Andrea Memmo, an area marshy area where the
famous "Fiera del Santo" took place, transformed into a trade fair in
1919.
"Capital without column", because near the northwest corner of
the Palazzo della Ragione, known as the "Salone" by the Paduans,
(coordinates: 45°24′26.5″N 11°52′29.2″E) at the intersection of a vault,
there is a capital but the underlying column is missing.
The "two
cats"
Not many, on the other hand, know the story of the "two cats",
which also figure among the most curious icons of the city:
the cat
of Sant'Andrea, a statue located on a column in the small square in
front of the relative church. The monument, made up of a stone sculpture
depicting a lion placed on a column from the Roman age, has been
destroyed several times, rebuilt and replaced with copies, the last of
which was demolished on 23 September 2013 by a means of transport
maneuvering.
the bastion of the Gatta, in correspondence with the
Giardini della Rotunda (at the confluence of today's via Paolo Sarpi and
via Codalunga), takes us back to the siege of Padua by the imperials of
Maximilian I of Habsburg, which took place in 1509. The attackers - who
they benefited from a siege machine called a cat, they had almost
managed to penetrate the second belt of the walls still visible at that
point, but they were stopped by the ingenuity of Citolo da Perugia, a
mercenary captain who undermined the gap just in time. In derision, the
defenders hoisted a cat on a pike, daring their enemies to come and get
it.
The Canton of the Rooster
It is the oblique crossroads
between the streets: Roma, San Francesco, Otto February and San Canziano
(practically, the right corner, looking at the main door of the Palazzo
del Bò).
It is traditionally considered the most central point of
the city, and it seems that it takes its name from the name of an inn or
tavern that once stood there. Even if today vehicular circulation is
practically abolished on site, it was precisely in the Canton del Gallo
that the first platform for the "policeman" who was to regulate traffic
was installed.
The toponym Stanga
The origin of the toponym
dates back to the early Middle Ages, during which it seems that duels of
champions and braves were held in this place (two categories of
mercenary "swordsmen" who - replacing the effective bearers of the
controversial interests - faced each other with rudimentary weapons in a
sort of ordeal or judgment of God, i.e. the substitute, according to
barbaric customs, of the process as a means of settling judicial
disputes). The bloody clashes attracted crowds of onlookers, who had to
take a seat beyond the posts (the poles, in fact) delimiting the arena.
It appears that the phenomenon was disciplined by a local law, in
force from 1236 to 1275. Moreover, in addition to establishing the fees
due to champions or bravoes, it established that this "profession" was
the prerogative of Paduans only, or at least of those who lived near the
city.
In reality several cities of the former Venetian Republic
(including nearby Vicenza) call the area outside their eastern gate
"Stanga"; it is possible that stanga simply stands for an area located
to the east (compare stangare, lagoon lemma for turning left with a
boat, sanca and stânga, or left respectively in Venetian and Romanian).
Be Comics! International Comics, Game and Pop Culture Festival,
Altinate San Gaetano Cultural Center, Padua Fair, Botanical Garden. In
March.
San Antonio Marathon. In April. The city marathon.
Padua
Pride Village. Summer event.
Portello River Festival,
info@riverfilmfestival.org. In June. Film festivals.
Ferragosto
fireworks (Prato della Valle). In August.
The Palio of Sant'Antonio.
In September. Medieval event which includes a cart race.
Padua Jazz
Festival, festival@padovajazz.com. In November.
Padua Fair, Via
Niccolò Tommaseo, 59, ☎ +39 049 840111. Trade fair exhibitions.
Padovaland. Daily: €16 adults and €12 children (2-12 years),
afternoon (from 3.00 pm): €13 adults and €9 children. From June to
August: Mon-Sat 10:00-18:45, Sun 9:30-19:00. Water playground.
Saturday market in Prato della Valle, Prato della Valle. On Saturday,
the largest city market animates this beautiful square.
The pedestrian zone in the center is full of shops of various types.
How to have fun
Aperol is an alcoholic aperitif created by the
Barbieri family in 1880 in Padua.
1 Teatro Verdi (Teatro Nuovo), Via dei Level 32. The main theater of
the city.
2 Geox Grand Theater, Via Tassinari 1.
3 Magdalene
Theater.
4 Ruzante Theater (Ex Church of San Giorgio).
Modest prices
1 Trattoria da Pippo, Via Gattamelata, 80, ☎ +39 049
8070476. Small trattoria like those of the past, meeting place for lunch
for the workers who work in the area. Very cheap.
2 Grom Gelateria,
via Roma, 101, ☎ +39 049 659266.
3 Pizzeria Orsucci dal 1922, Corso
Vittorio Emanuele II, 18, ☎ +39 049 8759313. Both the place and the
pizzas are small, but special.
4 Pizzeria Al Duomo, via S. Gregorio
Barbarigo, 18, ☎ +39 049 8760434. Until a few years ago Pizzeria Medina,
now completely renovated, but still with the same expert pizza maker.
Large, well-cooked pizzas between €6 and €8.50 (try the Palladio with
brie, aubergines and speck).
5 Bar Vecia Padova, via Valaresso, 13
(continue along the right of the Duomo, under the portico), ☎ +39 340
812 0336. A well-kept and welcoming bar, perfect for breakfast and lunch
breaks but also for aperitifs and tastings. Quality food at a fair
price, passionate and courteous management.
6 La Folperia (Il
Folparo), Piazza della Frutta, 1. Mon-Sun 17:00-21:00. Food stand in the
square. Sometimes it closes on Sunday or Monday, so it's good to inquire
in time.
7 Osteria Fradei Kempes, Riviera Tito Livio, 15/17, ☎ +39
049 876 5599. Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00. Trattoria with typical Venetian
cuisine.
8 Marechiaro Pizzeria, via Manin, 37, ☎ +39 0498758489,
marechiaro064@gmail.com. Tue-Sun 12:00-14:30 and 19:00-23:30.
9 Bar
Nazionale, Piazza delle Erbe, 41, ☎ +39 049 657915. Prepare excellent
toasts, in the summer with tables on the square.
Average prices
10 Da Nane della Giulia (Osteria), Via Santa Sofia, 1, ☎ +39 049 660742.
The oldest restaurant in Padua still active, retaining the business
license from 1870, even if the current name dates back to the second
half of the last century. The place probably became an inn as early as
the beginning of the 19th century. The current conformation, with
objects and furniture, dates back to the end of the 19th century. The
current management dates back to 1994.
11 Trattoria le sette testi,
Via Cesare Battisti, 44, ☎ +39 049 664753. Mon-Sat 18:30-02:00.
Traditional cuisine with hearty dishes.
12 Da Giovanni, Via
Maroncelli, 22, ☎ +39 049 772620, fax: +39 049 772620. €35-50. Mon-Fri
12:30-14:30 and 19:30-22:30, Sat 19:30-22:30. Traditional Paduan
cuisine, homemade pasta, boiled meats, roasts.
13 Trattoria Mario e
Mercedes, Via S. Giovanni di Verdara, 13, ☎ +39 049 8719731. €35/60.
Traditional Paduan cuisine, famous for its grilled dishes (only in
summer). Discreet cellar.
14 La Gourmetteria, via Zabarella, 23, ☎
+39 049 659830, padova@gourmetteria.com. Mon-Sun 10:00–24:00. Venetian
cuisine restaurant.
High prices
Le Calandre ***, Via Liguria 1
(Sarmeola, fraction of Rubano), ☎ +39 049 630303. Menus from €150 per
person. Molecular cuisine, the Le Calandre restaurant is famous all over
the world, thanks to the achievement of three stars in the Michelin
Guide, its menus are purely tastings.
Modest prices
1 City of Padua Hostel, Via Aleardo Aleardi 30, ☎
+39 049 8752219, fax: +39 049 8752219.
2 Hotel Belludi 37, Via Luca
Belludi 37, ☎ +39 049 665633, fax: +39 049 658685. 2-star hotel.
3
Hotel Casa del Pellegrino, Via M. Cesarotti 21, ☎ +39 049 8239711, fax:
+39 049 8239780. 2-star hotel.
Average prices
4 Hotel Al
Santo, Via del Santo 147, ☎ +39 049 8752131, fax: +39 049 8788076.
3-star hotel.
5 Albergo Verdi, Via Dondi dall'Orologio 7, ☎ +39 049
8364163, fax: +39 049 8780175. 3-star hotel.
6 Hotel Corso, Corso del
Popolo 2, ☎ +39 049 8750822, fax: +39 049 661576. 3-star hotel.
7
Hotel Sant'Antonio, Via San Fermo 118, ☎ +39 049 8751393, fax: +39 049
8752508. 3-star hotel.
High prices
8 Hotel Donatello, Via del
Santo 102/104, ☎ +39 049 8750634, fax: +39 049 8750829. 4-star hotel.
9 Hotel Plaza, Corso Milano 40, ☎ +39 049 656822, fax: +39 049 661117.
4-star hotel.
10 Metis Hotel, Riviera Paleocapa 70, ☎ +39 049
8725555, fax: +39 049 8725135. 4-star hotel.
11 Hotel Majestic
Toscanelli, Via dell'Arco 2, ☎ +39 049 663244, fax: +39 049 8760025.
4-star hotel.
12 Ariston Molino Hotel Abano Terme (Hotel Abano
Terme), Via Augure Cornelio, 5, ☎ +39 049 866 9061, fax: +39 049 866
9153, aristonmolino@aristonmolino.it. 85/150€. 4-star hotel in Abano
Terme a few kilometers from Padua with 4 thermal pools and wellness
treatments.
The historic center is a safe and peaceful place, while crime is
mainly concentrated near the station. It is especially advisable to
avoid via Cairoli and the narrow alleys that surround it, and via Anelli
behind the Giotto shopping center (outside the historic centre, in the
direction of the PadovaEst motorway).
How to keep in touch
The Post Office offices are located in Corso Garibaldi 25 (the main
street that connects the railway station with the centre).
Internet
Free Internet Points: IAT Galleria Pedrocchi, Youth
Information Center vicolo Ponte Molino 7 and URP Comune di Padova via
Oberdan 1.
Padua is located at the eastern end of the Po Valley, about 10 km
north of the Euganean Hills and about 20 km west of the Venice lagoon.
The municipal territory is spread over 93 km2 entirely flat and crossed
by various watercourses, which have given shape and protection to the
city over the centuries.
The city rests on a soil composed of
fine silty-sandy materials, while gravelly sediments are rare. The
distribution of the various stratigraphic levels is very irregular due
to the frequent digressions and variations that the courses of its
rivers underwent during the last geological era (see for example the
Cucca route). To the west of the city, in the rural areas of the Montà
district, various paleo-riverbeds of the Brenta river are clearly
visible.
Borders:
to the north with Cadoneghe, Limena,
Vigodarzere, Villafranca Padovana
to the east with Legnaro, Noventa
Padovana, Saonara, Vigonovo, Vigonza
to the west with Abano Terme,
Rubano, Selvazzano Dentro
to the south with Albignasego, Ponte San
Nicolò
As far as seismic risk is concerned, Padua is classified in
zone 3 (low seismicity).
The city was born and developed within the hydrographic basins of the
Brenta and Bacchiglione rivers, which have strongly influenced the urban
fabric and present suggestive views in many corners of the city.
In the past, these watercourses were fundamental for the city economy,
especially for the presence of numerous mills and for their commercial
function, secondly for connecting the city by boats with nearby Venice
and the other centers of the province of Padua. Furthermore, the canals
have long represented a valid complement to the fortification works of
the city. The river engineering works that have taken place over the
centuries, above all thanks to the impulse of the Water Authority of the
Republic of Venice, have made it possible to reduce the risk of flooding
affecting the urban fabric of the city; however, the last major works
date back to the 19th century. The current complex system of connections
and locks between the city's canals is capable of managing and
discharging even significant flood waves, without serious dangers for
the city. The areas at risk, only in the presence of exceptionally large
floods, are the south-eastern area of Terranegra (whose name derives
from the floods to which it was often subject in past centuries), and
the south-western area of Paltana.
The main rivers in the city
are:
Brenta, which originates from the lakes of Levico and
Caldonazzo, and delimits the northern district from the neighboring
municipalities.
Bacchiglione, which arises from the resurgences
between Dueville and Villaverla in the province of Vicenza; after having
received the waters of the Brenta at Tencarola via the Brentella canal,
it enters the city at Bassanello from the west where it divides into
three sections:
Canale di Battaglia, an artificial canal from the
12th century which branches off from the Bacchiglione river in
Bassanello (on the southern outskirts of the city) to head towards the
southern centers of the province, then rejoining the final stretch of
the river through a network of canals.
Canale Discharger, which turns
eastwards, conveying most of the river's waters outside the city. It was
built by the Austrian government in 1830, based on a project of the
Serenissima republic, to regulate the flooding of the river, and
remodeled in 1920.
Tronco Maestro which flows north along the
historic center to the west and north up to the Porte Contarine; it
served as a defensive channel for the north-west side of the
thirteenth-century walls. It was mostly used for navigation.
Naviglio
Interno, which branches off from the Tronco Maestro, crosses the
historic center to the south and east, following what used to be the
path of the Medoacus and rejoins the main branch at the Porte Contarine.
It was mainly used to feed the mills and several secondary canals branch
off, including the Santa Chiara canal which leaves the city towards the
south-east to rejoin the Piovego canal a little further on.
Canale
Piovego, which originates from the confluence of the Tronco Maestro and
the Naviglio Interno at the Porte Contarine and continues towards the
Brenta and Venice, delimiting the sixteenth-century walls to the north.
Canale Brentella, excavation of the fourteenth century in the current
western suburb of Padua, which carries the waters of the Brenta to the
Bacchiglione.
Since the 1950s, the silting up of the city's
canals, especially the Naviglio Interno (today Riviera Ponti Romani),
have decreed a long period of abandonment and have irreparably altered
the close relationship between Padua and its waters. It is only in the
nineties that there has been a recovery of the city's waterways, now
crossed by boats again; in the first years of the third millennium works
aimed at promoting river tourism were carried out.
The city has a basically sub-continental climate typical of the Po
Valley, mitigated however by the proximity to the Adriatic Sea. From a
legislative point of view, the municipality of Padua falls within
Climatic Zone E with 2383 degree days, therefore the maximum limit
allowed for turning on the heating is 14 hours a day from 15 October to
15 April. For the climatic data, reference is still made to the
meteorological station of the Botanical Garden, one of those from which
ARPAV collects information relating to urban weather (the other is
located in Legnaro, outside the municipal boundaries). The temperatures
shown below refer to data relating to the period from 1951 to 2000.
In Padua there are also quite low temperatures, in particular in the
period from mid-December to mid-January, mostly due to masses of
sub-polar cold air coming from the north (Scandinavia) or from the east
(Eastern Europe and the Balkans ) which not too often bring abundant
snowfall. The Padua-Vicenza-Rovigo triangle is the snowiest area in the
Veneto plain, with a historic annual average snowfall for Padua and its
province that fluctuates between 10 and 30 centimetres, 15–20 cm in the
city; average lower than in various areas of the north-west and Emilia,
but higher than in Liguria and other flat areas in the north-east
(Venice, Verona, Udine).
The city suffers from the problem of
urban overheating and the center has values that are one degree higher
than the province. The phenomenon of thermal inversion is present, with
daytime temperatures not exceeding 3 degrees and sometimes below 0 °C on
frequent foggy days; in recent years the persistence of the fog even
during the day is less frequent, unlike the Bassa Padovana and the
Rodigino. In the 1970s and above all in the 1990s of the 20th century,
the snow average of Padua decreased, while higher values were recorded
in the 1960s, 1980s and in the decade from 2001 to 2010; the second half
of the 20th century records of snow accumulation for the city occurred
in 1956 and 1985 with 55 cm.
In the Paduan winter there are days
in which the temperature in the hottest hours reaches 12 degrees, and
there is a sudden drop with values below zero at nightfall, with a
considerable temperature range. Exposure to bora currents and snow on
the ground can instead lead to colder temperatures, with a few degrees
below zero at night. The absolute record is represented by the -19.8 °C
recorded at the airport in January 1985. The winter climate was much
harsher and snowier between the 17th and 19th centuries, when the snow
remained on the ground for a long time, and the "ice" days " (i.e.
always below 0 °C in 24 hours) were quite frequent. However, let us
remember that in those centuries very low temperatures were recorded in
many areas of Europe, a period in fact known as the Little Ice Age (see
Cold winters in Europe from the 15th century).
Winters are
usually quite harsh, with lows often below zero, especially from late
December to mid-February; rainfall is generally scarce and only
sporadically snowy in recent years. Up until the mid-seventies, however,
they were quite frequent and, in some cases, even abundant. In this
century, after an almost total disappearance in the nineties of the last
century, they reappeared with a certain frequency, favored by cold
infiltrations from the east. In fact, the north-east winds (the bora of
the upper Adriatic) are characteristic of the area, caused by low
pressures that form on the Gulf of Genoa; these bring significant drops
in temperature and, sometimes, episodes of storms with snow (these too,
completely disappeared for many years, show a certain tendency to return
in recent years, especially at the end of winter). Mists are a
characteristic and common phenomenon throughout the Po valley and are
also present in Padua, albeit to a lesser extent than in the past; their
decrease should be referred more than to the province to the urban
center, which constitutes a large 'heat island'. The frosts, once
intense and lasting even for the whole day up to 10 consecutive days,
are very reduced and only exceptionally persist in urban areas
throughout the day. The cold buffer, an important phenomenon in the
innermost areas of the Po valley, especially in Piedmont, is now a
rather modest event in Padua and rarely produces, as in the distant
past, lasting snowfalls due to the flow of warmer air at high altitudes
due to the arrival of Atlantic disturbances. Characteristic winds on
Padua are those from the north / north-east (bora and tramontana), the
sirocco (which brings significant temperature increases and sometimes
consistent rains), the mistral in autumn; only occasionally does a weak
fohn arrive, the typical downhill wind of the alpine areas, which warms
up the cold and clear winter days
The summers are very hot and
muggy, with a climate that puts the traveler from drier climates at
severe discomfort. There are not a few days in June, July and August in
which the combination of high temperatures and high relative humidity
makes the climatic environment very uncomfortable. Precipitation is
generally scarce, but sometimes the irruption of cold air produces
stormy episodes, even of strong intensity, especially towards the end of
summer; hailstorms are frequent, even with dangerous grain sizes
(September 2, 1982, August 28, 2003 the most disastrous), and gusts of
wind sometimes produce substantial damage. The maximum temperatures are
around 34, 35 °C and can last even for several days; record peaks
occurred in July 2006, with even 37 °C, induced by North African
anticyclones. The highest temperature was recorded at the Botanical
Garden in August 2003 with +39.8 °C.
In this regard, the main
meteorological data referring to the period 2000-2016 are reported
(Padua Orto Botanico station). The aforementioned data were made
available by ARPAV.
The city is frequently subject to summer storms, which can become
violent when different air masses collide (cold fronts that interrupt
the heat), with hailstorms and strong gusts of wind, especially in the
first half of June and the last half of August. Among the various
tornadoes that occurred, the destructive one in August 1756 and the one
that grazed the city and then hit Venice in September 1970 were
particular.
Spring and autumn are seasons of transition, by their
nature uncertain and often turbulent. These are generally the rainiest
seasons (winter is the driest) and show strong temperature differences
from month to month. If March and November can present themselves as
winter months, with frosts and snowfalls, in April and October you can
also enjoy the first/last heat (albeit rarely and at pleasant levels,
not annoying like the summer heat); while May and September have
characteristics much closer to summer, especially as regards the first
autumn month, while the last spring month is more frequently disturbed.
In recent years, spring has shown a certain tendency towards a
prolongation of the cold season, with repeated cold inflows from the
Balkans that follow one another even until forwarded April, with even
snowy episodes. The contributions of rain are discrete. May is
characterized by the first heat that can reach 30 °C. Anomalous years
have warm periods also in April, but the trend of recent years for the
months of March and April is for a cool climate, characterized by
prevailing weather from the east. In these months, the first
thunderstorms characteristic of the Po valley also appear, only
exceptionally of a certain intensity
Autumn in recent decades
shows more and more a tendency to be an extension of summer, with quite
high temperatures in the first period, slowly decreasing towards its
end; however, the powerful irruptions of cold air which, starting from
mid-November, once marked the arrival of the cold season, seem to be
absent; only a few episodes of mistral wind herald the arrival of winter
in recent years. The autumn season in Padua is usually characterized by
a breakdown in the weather towards the end of September, by beautiful
days in October, which also last for a long time and finally by a humid
and foggy climate in November. Precipitation can sometimes be quite
intense, with pronounced siroccos; more rarely, there are dry autumns.
The etymology of the toponym is uncertain, but the assonance with the ancient name of the Po (Padus) is evident. We could recognize the Indo-European root pat-, perhaps referring to a flat and open place, as opposed to the nearby hilly areas (in Latin the word "patera" derives from this root which stands for "flat"), to which we owe add a further suffix "-av" (as in the Timavo river), of ancient Venetian origin, indicating precisely the presence of a river, precisely the Brenta-Medoacus. Furthermore, the ending "-ium", in the Roman name Patavium, indicates the presence of several villages which later merged. (R. Mambella)
Prehistoric settlements have been ascertained by archaeology, as
early as the 11th century BC. - X century BC, topographically in
correspondence with today's center of Padua. Legend has it that the
foundation of Padua took place in 1132 BC. by Antenor, a Trojan prince
who escaped the destruction of Troy; legend also reported by the Paduan
historian Tito Livio, in his "Ab urbe condita" (the history of Rome) to
sanction the ancient alliance that united his city to Rome.
Representing one of the main centers of Paleo-Venetian culture, ancient
Padua was built inside a bend in the Brenta river (during antiquity
called Medoacus Major) which at the time (probably until 589) flowed in
the bed of today's Bacchiglione ( at the time called Medoacus Minor or
Edrone), entering the city near the current Observatory.
In 302
BC. Patavium had to support the attack brought by a Spartan fleet led by
Prince Cleonymus. The Spartans, after having docked their ships at the
mouth of the Brenta, initially succeeded in their intent to plunder,
taking the inhabitants of the city by surprise. But then the Paduans,
reorganized, drove the Greek invaders back into the sea, inflicting
heavy losses on them; in fact only a fifth of their fleet managed to get
to safety by putting to sea.
As early as 226 BC. the ancient Paduans made an alliance with Rome
against the Cisalpine Gauls, an alliance later confirmed several times,
in particular at the time of the Battle of Canne (216 BC) and the social
war (91 BC), when Padua and other transpadane cities fought alongside of
the Romans. From 49 BC. it became a Roman municipium, and in the
Augustan age it became part of the X Regio, of which it was one of the
most important centres.
During the imperial era the city became
very rich thanks to the processing of wool from the pastures of the
Asiago plateau. Numerous roads passed (or started) from the city which
connected it with the main Roman centers of the time: the via Annia
which connected it with Adria and Aquileia, the via Medoaci which led to
the Valsugana and the Asiago plateau, the via Astacus which it connected
it with Vicentia, the via Aurelia which led to Asolo, the via Aponense
which connected it to the spas of the Euganean Hills. Both north and
south of the city there were extensive centuriations. In Roman times,
the territory of Padua was crossed by another important Roman road, the
Via Gallica.
In Roman times, Padua was the homeland of Tito
Livio, a distinguished Roman historian (in the same period, it gave
birth to the men of letters Gaio Valerio Flacco, Quinto Asconio Pediano,
Trasea Peto, of whom there is still a memory in the town toponymy).
With the fall of the empire Padua managed to maintain a solid
economy, but in the first period of the barbarian invasions it was
repeatedly devastated, first by the Huns in 452-453 and then in 601 by
the Lombards of Agilulf, who burned it and razed it to ground to prevent
the return of the Byzantines. The invasions, combined with the periodic
floods, led to a growing depopulation of the municipality. Towards the
end of the eighth century, the stability brought by Charlemagne and the
reclamation and canalization works carried out by the Benedictines
restarted the city's economy and put an end to two centuries of crisis,
giving way to re-urbanisation. The damages of the successive floods,
mitigated by the works of the monks, were aggravated by the devastation
wrought in the city by the Hungarians in 899, as well as by the
earthquakes of 1004 and 1117.
These centuries saw the progressive
affirmation of the temporal power of the bishops in the city and the
ever greater influence in the countryside of families of German and
Frankish origin such as the Camposampieros, the Estes, the Da Romanos
and the Da Carraras. As a result, the opposition between Guelphs and
Ghibellines emerged, who respectively supported the papacy and the
empire, a division that would lead to the bloody internal struggles of
the communal age.
In the late Middle Ages Padua distinguished
itself as a free municipality, participating in the Veronese League and
in the Lombard League against the emperor Federico Barbarossa. During
the municipal period, the city was enriched and the foundation of the
University, one of the oldest in the world, dates back to 1222. Passed
among the Ghibelline ranks during the domination of Ezzelino III da
Romano, on his death it returned under the control of the Guelphs and
became the object of continuous attacks by the Veronese Ghibellines
which led, in 1318, to the lordship of the Carraresi. A period of new
splendor began for Padua, in which the economy and the arts flourished.
Allied noble families, such as the Buzzaccarinis, commissioned the cycle
of frescoes in the Baptistery of the Cathedral and erected the Chiesa
dei Servi. In the same period, however, the wars with Verona continued,
as well as those with Venice and Milan. The ambition of the Carraresi
marked the end of the Veronese Scaligeri and of the Carraresi
themselves, who first saw the occupation of Padua by the Duke of Milan
Gian Galeazzo Visconti from 1388 to 1390 after the capture of Verona in
1387, and then were definitively defeated from the Republic of Venice in
1405 in the war of Padua, after which the long period of dedication to
Venice began.
In the following four centuries Padua, while losing political
importance, was able to enjoy the peace and prosperity ensured by the
Venetian lordship, as well as the freedom guaranteed to its University,
which attracted students and teachers from all over Europe, becoming one
of the major centers of Aristotelianism and attracting numerous and
illustrious intellectuals, such as Galileo Galilei. In 1509, during the
war of the League of Cambrai, Padua had to suffer a terrible siege,
which was however rejected. After the narrow escape, the Serenissima
proceeded with fortification works, building the walls that still today
have much of their original appearance. In 1571 Padua contributed to the
victory of Lepanto by sending one hundred gentlemen among whom the
prison leaders Pataro Buzzaccarini and Marcantonio Santuliana stood out.
After the fall of the Serenissima (1797), the city was ceded by
Napoleon Bonaparte to Austria. After a brief period within the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, in 1815 it became part of the Habsburg
Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. February 8, 1848 saw an insurrection
against Austrian rule, led in particular by university students. Padua
became part of the Kingdom of Italy only in 1866, following the third
war of independence.
During the First World War, the city was the
headquarters of the Italian military forces. It is worth mentioning the
fact that the daring (and peaceful) enterprise of the Flight over
Vienna, of D'Annunzio's memory, started from the vicinity of Padua (San
Pelagio Castle in the municipality of Due Carrare, 9 August 1918). Near
the city, in Battaglia Terme, the castle of Lispida was used as the
residence of King Vittorio Emanuele III. At Villa Giusti (in Mandria di
Padova) the armistice was signed which ended the conflict.
During
the Second World War Padua was an important center of resistance against
Nazi-fascism. Numerous university students and teachers took part in the
partisan struggle, starting with the rector Concetto Marchesi himself.
For this reason, the University of Padua was awarded (the only Italian
university to receive this honour) with the gold medal for Military
Valor. The partisan revolt that began in the city in the night between
26 and 27 April 1945 was followed in the late evening of 28 April by the
entry of the British and New Zealand liberation troops.
The
post-war years were characterized by continuous urban and economic
development for Padua thanks also to its geographical location, at the
center of important communication routes which favored industries and
services. The social and political crisis of the seventies saw the
polarization of tensions in events often connected to the extremism of
the fringes of the student community of Padua. It was one of the cities
where organizations such as Potere Operaio and Autonomia Operaia were
strongest, together with Rome and Bologna. These movements with a strong
student component were born under the aegis of distinguished professors
of the faculty of political science such as Antonio Negri. In the city,
the Red Brigades committed their first claimed crime with the attack on
the MSI headquarters in 1974.
In Padua, neo-fascist subversive
organizations such as Ordine Nuovo and above all the Rosa dei Venti, a
subversive organization parallel to the SID, the secret service of the
Italian armed forces, also acted, accused of also collaborating with
NATO structures in the fight against communism. In the 1990s many Paduan
politicians and entrepreneurs were involved in the various scandals of
Clean Hands and Tangentopoli.
Between the end of the 20th and the
beginning of the 21st century, the city underwent important urban
changes, with the construction of new modern office and residential
buildings and with a profound renewal of the road system, articulated
around the construction of the city ring road and the tramway of Padua.