Travel Blog
October 22, 2025
Padua – Urbe Picta
I just got back from my Italy two weeks trip to visit my family in Milano.
This year, my husband and I decided to add a visit to Padova (Padua in English): a lovely provincial town just 45 minutes inland from Venice.
Padova is well known for its university. Founded in 1222 (the second oldest university in Italy and the fifth oldest in the world, while also being one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe) by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna. When Italians think of Padua, they immediately associate it with its long-standing tradition in medicine and anatomy, linked to great figures such as Andreas Vesalius, the “father of modern anatomy,” and Galileo Galilei, who once taught there. The university also proudly houses the world’s oldest anatomical theatre (1594), a symbol of Padua’s pioneering role in the development of modern medicine.
We were able to visit the University, located in the beautiful Palazzo del Bo and got to see the podium where Galileo Galilei used to teach, as well as the Anatomical Theatre, the first studium in the world, dating back to 1594.
Padova proudly stands to be the first western university to have allowed a woman to graduate in 1678.
Tours are conducted by young art and history graduates. Their enthusiasm for their university shows on their faces when they tour tourists through the halls.
But Padova is not only famous for the University. It is known as Urbs Picta (from Latin painted city) because of the many frescoes you can admire in its historical building.
Noticeably, 1) the Scrovegni Chapel, all painted by famous artist Giotto, for the Scrovegni family, between 1303 and 1305. The use of blue and gold still demonstrates the opulence of the family who commissioned this magnificent artwork.
2) Palazzo della Ragione: Once the City justice room, back when Padua was a self-ruled city. The Palazzo stands in the heart of Padua surrounded by three main squares where a daily fresh produce market has been held since 1300 AD.
Besides the amazing frescoes depicting, the seasons, astrological signs, and all the labors that were present in Padua at the time, the huge room guests a wooden horse of magnificent size and features…its details are mind blowing.
Finally, 3) two years ago the restauration of the Duomo baptistery was completed.
It is now open to visitors, and it is a little jewel in its own right. The visit is well explained with audio guide and lights, lighting a portion of wall fresco at the time, to explain the biblical portion depicted and the artistical information relative to the execution of the masterpiece.
But I cannot complete the description of this town without spending some time writing about its squares!
As in Medieval times, Padua life turns around its squares. As I mentioned before, there are three beautiful main squares that surround Palazzo della Ragione: Herbs square, Fruit Square and Signori square. These three squares host daily a fresh produce market that is the delight of any foodie like me!
Fall season is the feast of different mushrooms; persimmons; pumpkin; artichokes, to mention the least.
Pontevini (that is how Padua people are called) come to buy fresh vegetables, fish from Venice, meats, cheese from the farms in the mountains around Padova and beans. It is a festival of colors, people, and smells.
The squares have multiple functions: fresh daily market in the morning but at 2pm, the market closes, gets dismantled, and the squares get cleaned to perfection.
Once that operation is done, all the bars, restaurants, cicchetti, ice cream shops, put out their tables and chairs to enjoy the square in a different social way: friends and family get together. It is tradition in Italian small towns to take a walk in the main squares after work and sit at a bar to have aperitivo before going home for dinner.
Padova is the epitome of this tradition: young students; families; old people all meet and have their social moment with a nice glass of spritz or prosecco.
There is another square that is worth mentioning. Further south of town, the once marsh land, was transformed in the 1700s into Prato della Valle, one of the biggest squares in Italy. Its shape is oval, with lawns, surrounded by a canal of water and four bridges.
The whole perimeter is decorated with marble statues of famous Pontevini people, amongst whom there is also Marco Mantua Benavides, a philosopher/professor whose palace we stayed at.
Our visit to this beautiful town ended with the quiet and interesting botanical gardens that were founded by Padova university to study medical herbs. The gardens are close to Prato della Valle square and Sant’ Antonio church, patron saint of Padua.
Padova is definitely worth visiting. For what we experienced two full days are needed.
Its location can be combined with other beautiful destinations close by: Venice to the south; The Dolomites and Vicenza to the north; Verona and Garda Lake to the west; Bologna and Ravenna to the south.
Padova is easy to reach via train (my husband and I reached it in two hours from Milano via Italo treno, the highspeed train) from Milano, Verona, Venezia, Bologna.
Nearby airports are in Venezia and Bologna.
If I enticed you enough and you want to know more about this little Italian jewel, or if you want to build an itinerary that would comprise this delightful city, contact me: I will be very happy to plan a trip to this remarkable destination.