Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The sheer historical weight of the centuries of learning that have gone on at
the University of Padua makes a visit to its main building—the
Palazzo del Bò
5
(Via VIII Febbraio;
%
049-8767927)
—worthwhile. In the courtyard is a statue of
the world's first female university graduate, Elena Lucrezia Corner Piscopia, who
earned her philosophy degree in 1678; her feat represented a major leap in
women's rights.
Bò is also home to the first permanent anatomy theater, set up in 1594; you
can visit this claustrophobic-feeling circular auditorium (where medical students
would witness cadavers being sliced up) by joining a tour of the Bò's most cher-
ished rooms. These run Monday through Saturday, three times a day, and cost
€
3
per person; inquire at the university souvenir shop (in the Bò) about exact times,
and be sure to ask what language the tour will be conducted in—on a recent visit,
I found myself with a UN-affiliated guide who spoke everything but English. The
tour includes the university's senate room, where velvet-upholstered seats are
reserved for the institution's intellectual head-honchos; you also get to see the
massive lectern built especially for Galileo, whose lectures were so popular they
had to be staged in an extra-large room. The university opened in 1221, making
it the second oldest in Italy.
Just steps from the Bò, pretty much slap-bang in the center of town, between
Padua's markets on Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta, is the
Palazzo della
Ragione
(
%
049-8205006;
€
8; Feb-Oct Tues-Sun 9am-7pm, Nov-Jan 9am-
6pm),
originally constructed in 1218 and expanded in 1306 by one of the
Eremitani monks. The vast single-room upper floor once constituted the largest
upstairs hall in existence. Featuring an interesting 15th-century fresco cycle of
more than 300 astrological and religious scenes by Nicola Miretto, the hall—or Il
Salone—is capped by a massive wooden ceiling. It housed the law court until the
late 1700s, but is now used for temporary exhibitions, often by important Italian
artists. Also on permanent display is a massive wooden horse with overlarge testi-
cles, and if that's not excitement enough, head for one of the balconies from where
you can watch the scene on one of the
piazze
below; it's a wonderfully lively part
of town.
On the ground floor of Il Salone is an 800-year-old covered market; between
the butchers and fishmongers, you'll find coffee shops and wine merchants, where
locals gather to gossip.
From Piazza delle Erbe it's a short walk along Via del Manin to Piazza del
Duomo, the site of Padua's
Duomo
(
Cathedral;
%
049-662814),
supposedly
built according to a plan by Michelangelo. What is worth a look here (besides the
lovely students sipping drinks at the tables at the edge of the square), is the small
12th-century
Baptistery
5
(
%
049-656914; daily 10am-6pm),
built in the
Romanesque style; it features a mesmerizing fresco cycle by Giusto de'Menabuoi,
a Florentine painter who worked here between 1375 and 1378. Entry to the
Baptistery is free with the PadovaCard.
The Basilica & Surroundings
Padua's principal pilgrimage destination is the splendid
Basilica di Sant'Antonio
55
555
, also known simply as
Il Santo
(Piazza del Santo;
%
049-8789722; Mon-Fri
6:20am-7pm in winter and 6:20-7:45pm in summer, Sat-Sun 6:20-7:45pm).
This
