Day Trips From Venice: #1 Padua
If you lot are inwards Venice but experience the necessitate to explore a metropolis inwards northern Italia that doesn't experience similar a bubble out of a dream, amongst existent cars, bicycles, local people buying grocery as well as non fifty-fifty ane masque store inwards sight, you lot could larn to Padova - or Padua, every bit the metropolis is called inwards English linguistic communication - for the day.
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| Street corner of Padua |
This metropolis is less than half an threescore minutes away from Venice amongst the prepare (take the regionale veloce, not the Freccia which is to a greater extent than expensive as well as takes the same time), as well as while it may non last every bit famous as the colina towns of Tuscany, it is rich in art, history as well as charm. Padova is a non a touristy town, but it's non completely devoid of tourists either. It is a typical metropolis of Northern Italy, full of marketplace stalls, porticoes and sanpietrini (cobblestones of Roman origin), amongst spacious squares as well as cute corners to explore. Every similar a shot as well as then, a river or canal volition appear inwards sight, or some ruins dating dorsum to the medieval or fifty-fifty the Roman period.
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| A canal inwards Padua |
One of the principal reasons why you lot should see Padova is Cappella degli Scrovegni. While unassuming from the outside, this pocket-size chapel holds a existent treasure: a serial of frescoes past times Giotto. It is rattling tardily to find, every bit it is but a few minutes away from the prepare station inwards the direction of the town centre. Built past times the Scrovegni household unit of measurement at the starting fourth dimension of the 14th century to expiate their sins (Dante lay them inwards his inferno because they were usurers), the Scrovegni chapel was built on the site of a Roman house (arena). For this reason, the church building is also called Cappella dell'Arena.
To see the chapel you lot have got to mass inwards advance (you tin exercise the website), but practise effort to pop inwards on the same twenty-four hours as well as banking concern jibe if in that location aren't also many people. Only a express lay out of people tin enter, as well as you'll have got to hold off fifteen minutes inwards a room that makes the air less polluted. Don't worry, because you'll last watching a video nigh the chapel. The admission cost is 13€, but it also gives you lot access to a yoke of museums inwards the city. The chapel is pocket-size but astonishing: it's actually worth seeing it, because it's ane of a kind. The starry bluish heaven of the roof, the details of the frescoes, as well as the atmosphere within this cosy, yet impressive chapel volition remain amongst you lot long after you've visited. Giotto is considered the forefather of modern painting, as well as he was the foremost to pigment inwards a trend that was recognizably realistic. This is his masterpiece, as well as ane of his most famous works. To give you lot an thought of his importance, he is the ane behind the projection of the bell tower of the main cathedral in Florence (campanile di Giotto).
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| The chapel from the outside |
Pictures are non allowed within the chapel, but I managed to remember ane on flickr.
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| Inside the chapel (photo past times Paul Turner, retrieved on flickr) |
One of the parts of Padova that I love is Prato della Valle. It is said to last the biggest foursquare inwards Italy, but to last honest I don't fifty-fifty consider it a square. For ane thing, it's oval! The argue is that it's built on the site of a 17th-century house for mock battles, as well as a Roman house earlier that. It has a large lawn surrounded past times a canal as well as many statues of famous Patavians (that's how the inhabitants of Padua are called). The houses all some the foursquare - or should I country "the oval" - are all painted inwards warm colours, as well as if that's ane thing that I actually love nigh Padua is the color of the houses. If the atmospheric condition is nice, you lot tin sit down downward on the grass together amongst many immature people - by as well as large students - as well as savour the sun. I love reading books here!
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| Lovely Prato della Valle |
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| Another shot of this beautiful square, a symbol of the city |
Very closed to Prato della Valle, you lot tin pay a see to Basilica di Sant'Antonio. People from all some the the world come upwards hither to pay tribute to Saint Anthony, who is also rattling pop inwards Naples. The church building is rattling rich inside, hence it's worth having a expect (admission is free). There is non one, but 2 slender clock towers (in the motion-picture present below, you lot tin meet the 2nd behind the cupola), as well as for this argue many guidebooks compare them to minarets. How weird!
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| Basilica del Santo |
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| Inside Basilica di Sant'Atonio |
Outside in that location are candles as well as memorabilia of the saint for sell. Vendors volition enquire you lot if you lot desire to calorie-free a candle for "the saint". As a affair of fact, "the saint" is how people telephone band Sant'Antonio as well as the church building itself.
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| Religious souvenirs exterior of Il Santo |
Just inwards forepart of the church there is the famous statue of Gattamelata, who used to last a mercenary for the Venetian republic. The statue was made past times Donatello, as well as it was the biggest statue of a human on his Equus caballus made after the Roman period. I love the mercenary's nickname, Gattamelata, which agency "the honeyed cat". It was likely attributed to him because of his cunning yet agreeable ways.
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| Il Gattamelata |
The botanical garden (Orto Botanico) nigh the basilica is a UNESCO-listed heritage site, but when I visited, inwards Dec 2013, in that location wasn't much to see, every bit the greenhouses were existence re-built as well as expanded. Hopefully they should last create for belatedly saltation 2014. Winter is non the best calendar month to see a botanical garden, but some of the plants actually looked neglected! I'm worried for this site, but I'll pay a 2nd see inwards saltation or summer. More spooky than interesting, this was even hence an unusual stop on a mostly historical itinerary. Historically, this botanical garden is rattling important, because it was the foremost botanical garden inwards the world, as well as it's also unique inwards having retained it's original arrangement. Some of the features of the garden engagement dorsum to the 18th century, similar the panoramic spiral staircase. The botanical garden was created every bit a medical garden for the academy inwards 1545, as well as it was the foremost house where potatoes were planted inwards Italy!
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| A corner of Orto Botanico |
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| Another corner of the botanical garden |
You tin mass a guided tour of Il Bo, through the main data office. It is possible to book only fifteen minutes earlier each tour, which allows no to a greater extent than than 35 people, hence you lot need to last organized to brand it. It's a rattling interesting tour, it costs just 5 € per soul (less if you lot are a student) and it's inwards both Italian as well as English. Check the timetables here, because in that location are visits on choice days, either inwards the morning time or inwards the afternoon. You'll have got a adventure to meet the room where Galileo used to lecture, his desk, as well as the room where students of medicine have got been discussing their thesis for centuries. The highlight of the tour is the Anatomical Theatre, built inwards 1595 to handgrip anatomy lectures. It's alone built with wood, as well as upwards to 300 students used to attend the lectures. Again, pictures were non allowed, but I retrieved ane from the spider web to give you lot an idea.
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| Anatomical house (picture from Wikipedia) |
One of the rooms that you'll visit inwards the tour is Sala della Medicina, pictured here. Can you lot meet the skulls inwards the drinking glass case? They belonged to lecturers who inwards the past times used to give their trunk for study to the academy after they died. Creepy!
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| Sala della Medicina, Il Bo |
Don't forget to take a expect at the narrow alleys some the ancient ghetto, the Jewish surface area of the city. You tin accomplish it through a pocket-size alley but off the Bo. It's one of most picturesque parts of the metropolis inwards my opinion, fifty-fifty though zip seems to propose that it used to last a Jewish neighbourhood. Where is the synagogue?
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| Cobbled street some the Jewish area |
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| Another cobbled street nigh the Ghetto |
Padova is hence total of treasures that you lot tin travel on exploring for a long time and you'll ever notice novel items of interest: effort to see the beautiful battistero of the duomo, for example, as well as brand certain that you lot banking concern jibe the fruit as well as vegetable marketplace stalls inwards Piazza delle Erbe as well as Piazza della Frutta (every twenty-four hours except Sunday).
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| Market stalls inwards Piazza della Frutta |
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| Market stalls inwards Padua |
While you lot are inwards this surface area you'll also notice a edifice that vaguely resembles a Greek temple: it's the luxurious Caffé Pedrocchi, whose 2nd flooring is similar a shot a museum. This historical café had an of import purpose during Risorgimento, the catamenia of Italian independence wars, as well as it used to last known every bit "the café without doors", because until 1916 it was ever open, nighttime as well as day.
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| Battistero (baptistery) of the duomo |
While you lot are inwards this surface area you'll also notice a edifice that vaguely resembles a Greek temple: it's the luxurious Caffé Pedrocchi, whose 2nd flooring is similar a shot a museum. This historical café had an of import purpose during Risorgimento, the catamenia of Italian independence wars, as well as it used to last known every bit "the café without doors", because until 1916 it was ever open, nighttime as well as day.
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| Caffè Pedrocchi |
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