Padua is one of the oldest cities in northern Italy.
It is the home of Italy’s second oldest university. This is a medieval city and is a place of attraction for most of the pilgrims as it has some of the most famous churches in the world.
Padua is less than an hour’s travel from Venice.
There are a number of historic streets in Padua, Italy.
The town is well known for its architecture.
This has been a spot for tourist attraction after Venice.
Most of the residents here are students.
It is important to note about the closing hours of the places you are about to visit.
Better look out for the appointments as some places like Scrovegni Chapel will require appointments as it might be fully booked and you might have to return back without visiting the place.
There are a number of places to visit that are of historical importance.
You cannot miss the beautiful and magnificent Prato della Valle a 950000 square feet sized elliptical square.
This is regarded as the second largest in Europe.
There are several other places that you might never want to miss.
Apart from that, there are a number of museums and galleries that attract artists.
There are several churches and museums in and around Padua.
The place is near to Venice city, hence it can be a place of attraction for many people who are interested in artistry and sculptures.
There are a number of pilgrim places to visit the place is famous for the frescoes.
It is an ancient city in Italy with its own specialty.
During the First world was Padua was chosen as the main command for the Italian army.
Padua faced Social influence immediately after the Great War.
The city faced several clashes and defeats.
Those people who took part in the war took a long time to turn back to normal life.
You can reach Padua by air, road or by train.
If you are an English speaker then you might find it difficult to communicate with the people in the region.
Even if you visit the shops you might be able to find the people who do not understand English.
The flea market is a good place to buy fruits and vegetables at a very low price.
You can visit the most romantic city in the world – Venice from here, which is a few hours travel from here.
Padua has been the main industrial place in Italy, employing several people in and around the regions.
There are several bridges and arcaded streets connecting to Piazze.
The 800 year old university holds record for graduating a number of students in and around the region.
Best time to visit Padua?
There are several beautiful places around Europe that are worth seeing.
Padua, Italy experiences a humid and subtropical type of climate throughout the year.
The climate is humid so bewares of rain as you might get stuck in one place without being able to visit other places.
The climate will be cold generally.
If you are keen in visiting all the important places in Padua, then you must spend more than one day there.
It is necessary to pack things accordingly to avoid last minute rush.
It is important to schedule the places you are about to visit in advance.
This is because there are closing times for each of the places, hence to avoid waiting time it is better to make sure you plan after collecting details of timings.
If you are planning to visit Frescoes then it is better to get a padova card which will cost 14 Euros and free entrance to almost all other tourist spots.
That will give you free access to buses and special offers for attractions.
Make sure that you get appointment to the Scrovegni Chapel as it requires an appointment.
If it is crowded an advanced appointment will help you.
Make sure to get your appointment at least one day in advance by paying through credit card or other means of online payments.
Plan your trip in advance and reduce the transportation charges as the flight tickets are usually cheaper when booked in advance.
It is always better to be prepared with clothes that suit for rain and cold climate.
Here is the list of the most important places to visit in Padua, Italy.
Mesmerizing things to do in Padua
There are several places that require specific time of year to visit and things to do .
Museums and some churches require specific timing for a visit and they might be closed during certain time.
Make sure that you collect the timing details about the places you are about to visit.
You might choose sunny summer in order to avoid flight delays as the climate plays a worst part:
The Scrovegni Chapel
The most famous sight in Padua, Italy is Scrovegni Chapel .
It is the house for the famous Fresco cycle, which was completed by Gitto.
The details in the fresco cycle here details about the life of virgin Mary and this has been regarded as one of the most important fresco cycles in the world.
The chapel has an elaborate entrance that is climate controlled.
This is done in order to stabilize the outside climate and the temperature within the chapel.
The place has air lock vault this is done to preserve the paintings in a better way.
This chapel is the first and foremost attraction in Padua hence it will be usually crowded and hence an appointment is required to visit the chapel.
It is better to take an appointment in advance by booking online.
There is an entrance fee for visiting Frescoes and other parts of the chapel.
It is better to get the details about the timings of the chapel and Frescoes as it may differ.
Check the website for details about the entrance fees.
What else to do in Padua?
The Palazzo Ragione
The Palazzo Ragione is a great hall which is located on the top floor the roof is said to be one of the largest roofs that is unsupported in the whole of Europe.
The shape of the hall is rectangular with 267 feet length and 78 feet height and 88 feet breadth approximately.
The walls of the Palazzo della Ragoine are covered with frescoes.
The building is held by arches.
The upper storey is an open loggia similar to the one that is surrounding the basilica of Vicenza.
The construction of Palazzo was started in 1172 and completed in 1219.
Fra Giovanni was the one who covered the whole place with one roof replacing the three roofs each of which was spanning the three different chambers into which the hall was partitioned during construction.
The walls that were partitioning each chamber were there till the fire in 1420.
During that time, the Venetian architects removed the internal walls making it into one great hall which is named as Salone.
After the fire, the place was refrescoed Stefano da Ferrara and Nicolo Miretto between the years 1425 till 1440.
There is a several century old market below the great hall.
Top things to see in Padua
Basilica of Saint Anthony
This is one of the most famous churches in this place.
The Basilica of Saint Anthony is seen facing Prato Della Valle.
The church is known as Il Santo in common reference.
Saint Anthony is buried in this church.
You can see the richly decorated tomb with various carvings and artistry work by some of the greatest artists in history.
The notable ones are Falconetto and Sansovino.
The building is said to be designed by Nicola Pisano.
The Church is covered by seven cupolas out of them two are in pyramid shape.
There are eight bells in the bell tower and four cloisters are there in the church.
Palazzo Zuckermann
The Palazzo Zuckermann is a large museum with art and crafts that were used in daily life several centuries ago.
There are several sections in the museum and it is a large museum.
If you keep seeing each and every section in detail, then it will take you days to complete visiting the whole museum.
It is advisable to see selective sections to save time.
The museum has a large collection of variety of things.
It is better to visit the place with proper planning else you might end up spending longer time in the museum.
My Favorite Padua Tourist Attractions
Prato Della Valle
It is surrounded by a double row of statues.
This is a huge oval with all the statues bearing a label.
If you are fond of statues and would like to see statues of different people it is worth a visit.
It is better to read the history to know the names.
If in case you need some research about the statues and the labels you can make a note and check them back later.
There is a large fountain which has seats around it.
After tiresome walking in other places it would be a place to rest.
There is a market nearby that is several centuries old.
This is a fruit and vegetable market.
You can see a lot of local people and other people who visit the market on a regular basis.
Basilica of Santa Giustina
Abbey of Santa Giustina and its adjacent Basilica is one of the important monasteries in the area.
The monastery was suppressed in 1810 by Napoleon and it remained closed till 1919.
There are several tombs of various saints which are located inside the Premises of the church.
Some of the notable saints are St.
Maximus, St.
Felicita.
This is the home of art.
The art gallery and complex was founded in the fifth century.
The Basilica of Santa Giustina has several tombs of saints apart from other artistry works on tombs and paintings on church walls.
Must see places in Padua Italy
Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico)
The Orto Botanico is one of the oldest Botanical gardens in the world.
The Botanical garden has been there since 1545.
There are a number of plants in the botanical garden.
If you are particularly interested in plants then choose spring time so that you can see some beautiful flowers bloomed on the plants.
If you go without planning you might have to see the empty plants.
There are several medicinal plants and poisonous plants as well.
It will be refreshing to see the garden among the boring visits to churches, chapels and museums.
There are several plants and trees that are rare species if you are a botanist and if you are looking to explore different plants then this is the right place.
You might have to take a long walk in the botanical garden so be prepared for a long walk and keep water for back up.
It is advisable to visit the place during a pleasant climate avoiding rainy season.
All other places are interiors and there will be shade to keep you away from the rain, but the garden is completely an open place hence it cannot be visited during rainy season.
Oratorio di San Giorgio
It has frescoed life works of several notable people in the history.
Some of the most notable names are St.
George, St.
Lucy and Alexandria.
The frescoes are in jewel like color that was painted by Jacopo Avenzi and Altichiero da Zevio during 1378.
The place was used as a prison by Napoleon.
This was the place where St.
George was released from the torture wheel by avenging angels.
Scuola del Santo
Scuola del Santo was built in 1427 and later in 1504 it was raised with priory room and has fresco fifteen cycles along with three paintings.
There are tombs of several saints in one part of the church.
You can see the artistry works in each and every part of the church.
The room Priory has a ceiling with artistry work painted by Domenico Bottazzo.
The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata
The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata is a famous sculpture that can be seen in Padua.
Located in the Piazza del Santo, the sculpture dates back to 1453.
The sculpture portrays Condottiero Erasmo da Narni.
There are several statues in Padua and you’re interested in sculptures and arts then get details about the artistry works and make sure to visit them without fail. These statues are worth seeing.
Santa Sofia Church
Santa Sofia church is one of the oldest churches in Padua, Italy. The church was built in the tenth century.
The church has beautiful art works with a sparse interior space. The Santa Sofia church was constructed during 1106 to 1127.
There are a number of places to visit in Padua, Italy.
It is better to make a scheduled plan in order to avoid the time delay that will be caused during visit to places.
There are several museums that might take several days to tour in full detail, hence it is advisable to choose the sections first that you would like to visit.
The frescoes are the main part of attraction in Padua. Gitto’s Fresco circle is most famous and it is the main place of tourist attraction.
There are several people who visit Padua for pilgrimage trip.
It is true that most people think Padua as a pilgrimage place as most of the places to visit are churches and chapels.
There are several tombs which have artistry work with beautiful sculptures.
It is better to get appointments to churches that require pre booking.
The university is one of the oldest and largest in Europe.
The place has a number of students in the region.
The university is several centuries old and offers several courses.
The university region has a large number of students and it offers several tours for the visitors.
If you are planning to stay in Padua and visit neighboring places, then it is a perfect place to stay as it is a small city and cost will be comparatively lesser than other larger cities.
Venice is a short way from here and you can plan a day trip to Venice and other surrounding regions.
Padua is the oldest city in northern Italy region.
There are several churches and stone sarcophagus that are of historical importance.
Many students move to Padua to continue their education at Padua University.
This city is loosely populated with lesser population.
The city is economically strong as there are several main offices of many industries around 1300 industries are based out of Padua.
Around 50,000 people are employed by the industry and other related field.
Padua is the main point of distribution of things that are exported from other parts of Europe to be distributed to other parts of the world mainly Asian countries.
There is one port and two railway stations apart from truck terminals and two highway exits connecting to other cities in Italy.
The nearest Airport is Venice Airport apart from Bologna and Verona airports.
The Padua airport has been stopped from services and hence scheduling of flights connecting from other cities was stopped henceforth.
Padua is the place of events in the story Taming of Shrew written by Shakespeare.
Padua is not very highly populated with an average population of around 2 hundred thousand as per the year 2011.
So the next time you get time, pack your bags and visit this amazing place, Padua.
