Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
greater intellectual freedom, the university has employed some of Italy's greatest and most
controversial thinkers, including Copernicus, Galileo, Casanova and the world's first fe-
male doctor of philosophy, Eleonora Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (her statue graces the
stairs). Guided tours cover
Galileo's lecture hall
and the world's first
anatomy theatre
.
Note there are only two tours per day from November to March.
Duomo
CATHEDRAL
( 049 66 28 14; Piazza del Duomo; baptistry adult/reduced €2.80/1.80; 7.30am-noon & 4-7.30pm
Mon-Sat, 8am-1pm & 4-8.45pm Sun & holidays, baptistry 10am-6pm)
Built from a much-altered
design of Michelangelo's, the whitewashed symmetry of Padua's cathedral is a far cry
from its rival in Piazza San Marco. The adjoining 13th-century
baptistry
, however, is a
Romanesque gem frescoed with luminous biblical scenes by Giusto de' Menabuoi. Hun-
dreds of male and female saints congregate in the cupola, posed as though for a school
graduation photo, exchanging glances and stealing looks at the Madonna.
CHURCH
Basilica di Sant'Antonio
(Il Santo;
www.basilicadelsanto.org
;
Piazza del Santo; 6.20am-7.45pm Apr-Oct, to 7pm Nov-Mar)
Il Santo is the soul of Padua, a key pilgrimage site and the burial place of patron
saint St Anthony of Padua (1193-1231). Begun in 1232, its polyglot style incorporates
rising eastern domes atop a Gothic brick structure crammed with Renaissance treasures.
Behind the high altar nine radiating chapels punctuate a broad ambulatory homing in on
the
Cappella del Tesoro
(Treasury Chapel), where the relics of St Anthony reside.
You'll also notice dozens of people clustering along the right transept waiting their turn
to enter the
Cappella del Santo
, where Anthony's tomb is covered with requests and thanks
for the saint's intercession in curing illness and recovering lost objects. The chapel itself is
a light-filled Renaissance confection lined with nine panels vividly depicting the story of
Anthony's life in extraordinary relief sculptures. The panels are attributed to the Padua-
born Lombardo brothers and were completed around 1510.
Other notable works include the lifelike 1360s crucifix by Veronese master Altichiero
da Zevio in the frescoed
Cappella di San Giacomo
; the wonderful 1528 sacristy fresco of St
Anthony preaching to spellbound fish by a follower of Girolamo Tessari; and 1444-50
high altar reliefs by Florentine Renaissance master Donatello (ask guards for access).
Through the east door of the basilica you reach the attached monastery with its five
