Padua in Italy. Sightseeing in Padua

Padua in Italy. Sightseeing in Padua

Padua is a city in Italy, which is full of mesmerizing architecture and wonderful nature. It’s located not far from Venice. This is a city of students, as there are more of them here than tourists.

Although, travelers seem to forget about Padua, when traveling across Italy, we advise to find a day to visit this wonderful place. Especially, if coming here from Venice: you compare the noisy atmosphere of the Floating City with peaceful and calm Padua, which will reveal a completely different image of Italy.

The fans of art will be impressed by the buildings of Padua. For example, the Scrovegni chapel is decorated with the fresco paintings of famous Giotto and the University of Padua is built in the early Renaissance style. The tourists who are fond of active rest will be happy to explore the Euganean Hills Parks, where they can choose a hiking route (with a length of up to 70 kilometers or 43.5 miles). In order to ensure comfortable navigation in the region, we recommend to book transfer Padua.

Padua is known among Italians as the city of “the three without”

Saint Anthony, a defender of Padua, is most commonly called “Saint”, without his name. 
There are several cafes in Padua, which are famous for their long history and 24/7 service. The locals call them “Cafe without doors”. 
The main square in the city is called by the citizens “A lawn without grass”. 
Turns out, there are Saint without a name, cafes without doors and square without grass in Padua.

The best way to explore the town is on foot or by bike. There’s no need to hurry, and you won’t be willing to.

The best sights of Padua worth visiting

The Scrovegni Chapel

It’s situated at the sight of the former amphitheater. The fresco paintings that are decorating the Chapel were made by Giotto di Bondone himself. There’s a belief that these painting served as educational material for Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Rafael.

Padua’s Cathedral

Located in the heart of the town. All paths and all streets of the city are leading to the Cathedral. When walking in the city, you’ll be eventually coming back to the Cathedral square without even planning it. Michelangelo himself was working on the project of this cathedral.

Piazza dei Signori

There was the building belonging to city authorities located on this square a couple of centuries ago. Nowadays, it’s a place with multiple restaurants and entertainment. An ancient tower with clocks serves as a decoration for this place. The clocks represent the Universe with the Earth placed in the center. The dial has a 24-hour mechanism, so the hand of the clock makes only one circle per day.

Prato della Valle

It’s the largest square in Italy, it’s total size is about 90,000 square meters. The square is surrounded by the canal, tourists can also visit ancient palaces located nearby and the Abbey of Santa Justina.

The Abbey of Santa Justina

This huge abbey was built in the memory of Christian martyr Justina, who was a defender of Padua. This abbey offers visitors to see the Reliquaries of St. Luke the Evangelist, St. Justina and St. Prosdocimus.

La Specola

This prison was built in the 9th century. Over the centuries, it had been the place, where the prisons were jailed and tortured. However, in the 14th century, the family of Carraresi that had been standing in the power of Padua at that time, made it a part of their possessions.

The Tomb of Antenor
Antenor is believed to be a legendary founder of Padua. His tomb (often referred to as the Sepulchre) is situated in the middle of the town square.

Piazza delle Erbe

In the past days, it was the main market place of the whole region. Traders and merchants from all the neighborhoods were coming here. Nowadays, the square is known for a variety of shops and little restaurants, but it preserved the atmosphere of the ancient market place.

After having a long walk along Padua and having enjoyed its wonderful architecture, don’t miss an opportunity to dine at Pedrocchi Cafe. It’s one of the famous “cafe without doors”. It was founded in 1839. It was the first cafe ever that started working 24/7 in Italy! It still works like that. The first floor of the cafe is the Museum of the Risorgimento and the contemporary era. Here you can find the history of the whole city. You can have a nice lunch or dinner in a cafe, and then visit a museum to learn more about Padua.