Padua, Veneto

It’s thought Shakespeare never travelled outside England, and yet the Bard set more than a quarter of his plays in Italy. There are all sorts of theories about why and how he did that, but it’s interesting isn’t it? One of those plays, The Taming of the Shrew, is set in Padua.

We’re not sure why it took us so long to visit Padova (as it is in Italian) but when finally we did, we liked it. The city reminded us a lot of Bologna.

Padua is only an hour north of Bologna (and half-an-hour west of Venice)

In terms of population, the city is slightly smaller than Bologna, but in other respects it's similar

There are porticoes (though not as many as in Bologna)

Canals (though Padua's canals seemed to have a bit more water in them)

And a prestigious university - Italy's second oldest (1222); Bologna's university was established in 1088

It's said the University of Padua was founded as a school of law by lecturers and students from Bologna who were seeking greater academic freedom

Today the university has around 63,000 students in faculties ranging from agronomy to molecular medicine; the students give Padua a good 'vibe'

Piazza dei Signori and Palazzo della Ragione

The Basilica of Saint Anthony, patron saint of Padua

Construction of the Basilica began in 1232 (a year after Saint Anthony's death)

It's the city's most important church because it contains the saint's tomb

And at the southern end of Padua, Prato della Valle

This is Italy's largest piazza - 90,000 square metres - though 'Il Prato' is not really square at all; it's elliptical in shape

The surrounding canal is decorated with statues of famous Paduans from the past; St Anthony is said to have delivered sermons in the Prato

Scrovegni Chapel and Giotto's magnificent cycle of frescoes

These frescoes are considered a masterpiece of western art, and they are wonderful

The work was commissioned in 1303 by a wealthy Paduan banker

The frescoes are so significant because Giotto departed from all conventions of the time by introducing realism and emotion into his work

Expressions like these had never before been depicted by an artist

Here in the 'Adoration of the Magi' Giotto has included Halley's Comet which he'd seen pass overhead in 1301

Giotti's frescoes are so precious that entry to the little church is possible only via a special air-tight anti-chamber that controls humidity and dust

Scrovegni Chapel and the Basilica of St Anthony are two of more than 60 churches in Padua

Here's another one (there did seem to be a lot of dog-walking happening during our visit) 🙂

Padua is a lovely city with a lot to see and do; definitely worthy of a return visit