Padua

From Jesolo you can reach Padua by car taking the Mestre ring road and continuing to Milan, or by train from San Donà di Piave, which can be reached by car in twenty minutes from the seaside resort. An economic centre, one of the most important and largest intermodal transport centres, including river transport, in all of Europe, Padua currently represents the largest interport in northern and central Italy. It is also universally known as the city of the Saint, an appellation by which St. Anthony, the famous Portuguese Franciscan, is called in Padua. The places we recommend visiting are undoubtedly the Basilica di Sant’Antonio, the most important church in the city and one of the largest and most visited in the world, where the relics of the Christian saint that gives the Basilica its name are kept. The façade of the church is Romanesque, the buttresses develop into Gothic-style flying buttresses that punctuate the space with regularity and the domes in Byzantine style. The twin bell towers, on the other hand, almost resemble minarets. The Scrovegni Chapel is located in the area of the Giardini dell’Arena, a masterpiece of 14th century European painting. A pictorial cycle by the master Giotto in which the fundamental themes of human thought are highlighted: God, Man, Pathos, Poetry, Nature, History, Faith. An unmissable ensemble of colours, lights and poetry. Prato della Valle, the city’s central square and one of the largest in Europe. It is characterised by a central elliptical island, called Memmia Island, surrounded by a small canal on whose banks is a double ring of statues. Its original construction dates back to Roman times. Today, the Prato maintains its historical functions as a place of commerce and entertainment. Every Saturday, the traditional market of Padua takes place there with over 160 stalls. Several times a year, the Prato hosts concerts. The historic Palazzo della Ragione was the former seat of the city courts of Padua. It was built in the Middle Ages and is of great historical significance. The cathedral basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, also known as the Cathedral of Padua, is the main place of worship in Padua and the seat of the local diocese. The building dates back to the early Christian period and has been constantly enriched architecturally and ornamentally to the present day. The Palazzo del Bo, seat of the University of Padua since 1493. Inside is the statue of Elena Lucrezia Cornaro, the first woman in the world to receive a degree in philosophy, and the chair where the great Galileo Galilei taught. Finally, the Church of Santa Sofia, one of the oldest in the city. It is a building that dates back to the early Middle Ages but stands on the ruins of a pagan temple, marking the passage from one culture to another.