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If you are looking for a European tourist destination,
consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of
Venice. Venice is its best-known city and one of the most
popular tourist destinations on earth. But the Veneto
region is a lot more than this great city. It hosts many
other excellent tourist attractions, and you won’t have to
fight the huge crowds. With a little luck you’ll avoid
tourist traps, and come back home feeling that you have
truly visited Italy. This article examines tourist
attractions in the university city of Padua in central
Veneto. Be sure to read our companion articles on northern
Veneto, on southern Veneto, and on that Shakespearean city
of Verona.

Padua, population over two hundred thousand, is only about
twenty-five miles (forty kilometers) west of Venice but has
always had a life of its own. It was the setting for
Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Padua claims to be
the oldest city in northern Italy, founded early in the
Twelfth Century B.C. It held out against the Lombards for
twelve years at the beginning of the Seventh Century only
to be burnt to the ground. Padua was the headquarters of
the Italian Army in the First World War and the site of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire’s surrender.

The historic city center surrounded by seven miles (eleven
kilometers) of Sixteenth Century walls is home to the City
Hall, whose wall is covered by the names of the Paduan war
dead. Other sites of interest include the Palazzo della
Ragione described next and the Nineteenth Century
Neoclassical Caffé Pedrocchi. This caffé is one
of the largest in the world and the hub of the uprisings in
1848 perhaps not surprising given its proximity to the
university described below.

The Twelfth Century Palazzo della Ragione (Palace of
Reason) in spite of its name is not a philosopher’s
hangout, but a huge centuries-old marketplace. The hall
itself is about two hundred seventy feet (eighty meters)
long so when people say you can’t miss it, they aren’t
kidding. This magnificent building was heavily damaged by
fire early in the Fifteenth Century, completely destroying
a great collection of frescoes. So the frescoes you’ll see
are somewhat more modern. By the way, the collection
includes one of the few complete sets of the zodiac signs.
The palace is no longer the seat of the Padua government
and often hosts art shows.

Padua University in the city’s historic center at the
Palazzo del Bo’ (Ox Palace, named for a inn that it
replaced) was founded in 1222 when many professors and
students left the University of Bologna over the issue of
academic freedom. Jurisprudence and theology were the first
courses offered. From the Fifteenth Century to the
Eighteenth Century the university was renowned for its
research, particularly in the areas of medicine, astronomy,
philosophy, and law. On June 25, 1678, Elena Lucrezia
Cornaro Piscopia became the world’s first woman graduate
when awarded a doctorate in Philosophy in the Padua
Cathedral. In addition to mathematics, philosophy, and
theology Piscopia mastered the following languages:
Italian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, French, and Arabic.
Other famous professors and graduates include Nicolaus
Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Giacomo Casanova. You may
want to visit its Anatomy Theatre, the oldest in the world
built in 1594. To deal with the issue of overcrowding many
university faculties have recently moved to other cities in
the Veneto region.

Along the Piazza dei Signori (Seigneurs’ Square) you’ll see
the early Seventeenth Palazzo del Capitanio, the residence
of the Venetian governors with its great door. The palace
included its own church, the church of San Nicolo. The
nearby Duomo (Cathedral), remodeled in the mid-Sixteenth
Century after a design by Michelangelo, is not one of his
best works. The Thirteenth Century Baptistry includes a
series of frescoes illustrating the Book of Genesis by an
early Renaissance Italian painter. This piazza is home to
the city’s St. Mark’s Lion. If you read my companion
article on southern Veneto you’ll know what to look for
when you get there.

The Fourteenth Century Cappella degli Scrovegni (Scrovegni
Chapel) is Italy’s best-known chapel after the Sistine
Chapel. It is also called the Arena Chapel because it
stands on the site of a Roman-era arena. The chapel’s
fresco collection devoted to the life of the Virgin Mary is
virtually unmatched. Before entering the chapel you must
spend 15 minutes in a climate-controlled air-locked room
reducing the temperature difference between the outside
world and the inside of the chapel. Nearby you will find
the Musei Civici degli Eremitani (Civic Museum) a former
monastery with its collections of Venetian paintings,
ancient coins, and other archeological treasures.

Padua’s most famous church is the Basilica di Sant’Antonio
da Padova (Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua) started
around 1238 and completed after the turn of the century.
His remains repose in a beautiful chapel. In front of the
church is a Donatello statue of a Venetian general riding
horseback. This statue, cast in the middle of the Fifteenth
Century, was said to be the first full-size equestrian
bronze statue cast since antiquity. Nearby are the
Thirteenth Century St. George Oratory and the Sixteenth
Century Scuola di San Antonio (St. Anthony’s School) both
of which have great fresco collections, the first by
Altichiero and the second by the more famous Titian. There
are several other churches to see if you have the time and
energy.

Padua’s Orto Botanico (Botanical Garden), founded in 1545,
was the first in the world. The Botanical Garden still
maintains its original layout, a circular central plot
symbolizing the earth surrounded by a ring of water. It has
expanded over time. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a
center for scientific research. Nature lovers will
appreciate the Eighteenth Century Villa Pisani (Pisani
Palace) about eight miles (thirteen kilometers) southeast
of the city on the Brenta River, home to many fancy, fancy
homes. This Palace contains 114 rooms in honor of the 114th
Doge, a member of the Pisani family. Napoleon spent a night
here before giving the palace away. Make sure to see the
trompe-l’oeil frescoes on the ceiling. The adjoining park
is a-maze-ing if you get my drift.

One of Padua’s best-known symbols is the Prato della Valle
(Valley Meadow), often called the Grassless Meadow, said to
be the largest square in Europe after Moscow’s Red Square.
It measures approximately one million square feet (ninety
thousand square meters) or about fifty football fields. In
its center, if you don’t mind the hike, you’ll find a wide
garden surrounded by a ditch and lined by 78 statues
portraying famous citizens. The site includes the abbey and
the basilica of Santa Giustina (Saint Justine), with an
interesting art collection. This complex was built around
the Fifth Century tomb of Saint Justine of Padua. Napoleon
suppressed the monastery in 1820 and it didn’t reopen for
more than one hundred years. You will find tombs of several
saints and relics of the Apostle St. Matthias and the
Evangelist St. Luke.

What about food? Padua is a unique city and has quite a
selection of food specialties, some of which you may not
care to sample. Specialties include torresano allo spiedo
(pigeon raised in tower lofts), sfilacci (salted, dried,
and smoked horsemeat), mushrooms and truffles (that sounds
better already), and peaches. Like I said, Padua is a
unique city.

Let’s suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with
Prosciutto Veneto Berico Euganeo (Montagnana Sweet Cured
Ham). Then try Bondole (Smoked Pork Sausage). For dessert
indulge yourself with Crema Fritta (Fried Cream Custard).
Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local
wines with your meal. espresso machines

We’ll conclude with a quick look at Veneto wine. Veneto
ranks 3rd among the 20 Italian regions both for the area
planted in grape vines and for its total annual wine
production. About 45% of Veneto wine is red or rosé,
leaving 55% for white. The region produces 24 DOC wines and
3 DOCG wines, Recioto di Soave, Soave Superiore, and
Bardolino Superiore. DOC stands for Denominazione di
Origine Controllata, which may be translated as
Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a
high-quality wine The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but
there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly
superior. Almost 30% of Venetian wine carries the DOC or
DOCG designation.

Bagnoli di Sopra DOC also called Bagnoli DOC is made in a
variety of styles from a variety of international and local
red and white grapes in the area approximately between
Rovigo and Padua. Colli Euganei DOC is made in a wide
variety of styles from local or international white or red
grapes on the volcanic hills southwest of Padua.

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Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on
computers and the Internet, but he prefers drinking fine
Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and
people. He knows about dieting but now eats and drinks what
he wants, in moderation. He teaches classes in computers at
an Ontario French-language community college. His new wine,
diet, health, and nutrition website
http://www.wineinyourdiet.com links to his other sites.