What to see in Padua

Among the Venetian cities, Padua is the small and characteristic one, where history, nature, and art interpenetrate to create a real jewel.

Here in Padua, there is a great cultural ferment, given by the University and the presence of many young people, but also by activities such as concerts, exhibitions, cultural places to visit, and places to meet.

Padua can be visited in summer and in winter because it is always evocative and on a human scale. You can choose to visit Padua in one day and live it intensely, or stay just long enough to discover all its secrets, cycling or walking.

Here are just some of the attractions that make a visit to this small city an unforgettable experience:

The Scrovegni chapel

One of the first things to see when you arrive in Padua is the Scrovegni Chapel. It is home to Giotto's famous frescoes, which date back to the early 1300s and changed the course of art history throughout Italy.

The chapel has a blue-painted vault with stars resembling the sky, a huge Last Judgement on the opposite wall, and sacred stories on the side walls.

The frescoes were commissioned by the Paduan nobleman Enrico Scrovegni, who wanted to be buried there and are today the most important cycle of frescoes in the world.

Piazza delle Erbe and Prato

This is where the fruit and vegetable market takes place, where you can find fresh and genuine products and the social center of the city.

The Town Hall and the Palazzo della Ragione overlook the square, the interior of which leaves visitors breathless.

The other main squares of the city are Piazza dei Signori and Prato della Valle; in the first one, you can admire the Palazzo del Capitanio and its clock, the first in Italy that, in addition to the hours, indicates the months, the sun's turn for the zodiac, the phases of the moon and the movements of the planets, while Prato is considered the largest square in Europe.

The botanical garden

The main attraction of Padua is undoubtedly represented by the botanical garden. This garden has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and is the oldest university botanical garden in the world, founded in 1545.

Getting lost among the greenhouses and well-defined flower beds, admiring plants from all over the world, and walking completely immersed in nature, is a unique and inimitable experience that also becomes interesting and instructive.

Padua is a city with many small treasures, and the University is worth a visit because it is one of the oldest in Italy and Europe. Here is the elliptical anatomical theater where scientific exhibitions took place.