Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the center until eventually you find yourself on Via Roma, turn right into Via
Rogati, and then left into Via Aleardi, and continue to the end of the road); once
there, you can rent a bike, however. There are cheap beds, costing about
15, in a
large dorm (but note that you may find yourself sharing with non-travelers), or you
can splurge on a four-person family room (about
€
60), or a prized double room
(about
€
40). A shower and a very basic breakfast are included in the rate, but
you'll have no access to your room between 9:30am and 4pm, and you'll have to
observe a strict 11pm curfew, which may be a pity in this late-night student town.
You can make use of in-house laundry facilities and the Internet (both charged).
Reception is only open before 9:30am and after 4pm, so plan your arrival carefully.
Rates are slightly higher for those who aren't Hostelling International members.
A Camping Site near Padua
€
Camping facilities are available from early March until mid-November at the
Montegrotto Terme
(Via Roma, 123/125;
%
049-793400; www.sportingcenter.it;
no credit cards),
some distance out of town. To get there, you'll need to either
drive, or take a train and alight at Montegrotto, before setting off on a further 30-
minute hike. Facilities are excellent (with showers and electricity connections).
Rates average around
€
7 per person.
DINING FOR ALL TASTES
€
-
€€
For reliable pizza, served directly from a wood-fired oven amid a rowdy
crowd of students, locals, and tourists, head for
Al Borgo
(Via Belludi, 56;
%
049/
875-8857; Mon-Sat).
Wonderfully unpretentious and conveniently located just
off the Piazza del Santo, it charges decent prices for scrumptious food.
€
5
€
-
€€
(Prato della Valle, 51;
%
049-663803; Tues-Sun 11:30am-3:30pm and 6:30pm-2am)
is a large
osteria
with a formal indoor area and a more relaxed outdoor terrace, which can be lovely
on a sunny afternoon or early evening. The clientele is a busy mix of hungry
tourists and local families; when you get here, waistcoated, charmless waiters are
quick to learn just how much you're willing to spend. “Ristorante? Pizzeria?”
they'll inquire while looking you up and down, and then seat you according to
what you intend to eat rather than where you'd like to be seated. In the evening,
from around 8pm, smartly dressed locals start filling up the frescoed inside sec-
tion dotted with classically inspired sculptures. Both menus are impressive, and
the pizzas are quite excellent and reasonably priced; try the “Zairo” pizza for a per-
fect base heaped with shaved Parmesan. If you opt for the “Ristorante,” there are
plenty of interesting choices: marinated swordfish, goose, ham, bourguignon
snails to start, a selection of homemade pastas, grilled turbot, and—if you're crav-
ing meat—a great filet topped with juicy boletus mushrooms.
Situated at the edge of the Prato square,
Zairo
Also near Il Santo is the fairly elegant, if charmless,
Antica Trattoria dei
Paccagnella
(Via del Santo, 113;
%
049-8750549),
where I once asked the owner
to recommend his most typically Padovani dishes. After a rigorous interrogation
of the menu, he suggested the
baccalà mantecato
(dried codfish, boiled, skinned,
€€
