Italy > Veneto

Posted on 26/03/2010

Our itinerary in the city of Padua begins with the discovery of the "Three Without":

'COFFEE WITHOUT DOORS': it is one of the symbols of the city, centrally located and so called because until 1916 it remained open at night, and also for the special open porch that allowed to cross the coffee freely. Recently, the gallery has been closed, but to preserve the original features, it has been closed only by large windows.
Born in the early '800, the coffee became soon renowned for being the only place where anyone could stop for a while to read books or newspapers without having to drink!
Its proximity to the University made it the centerpiece of the city's cultural life and a meeting place for students, writers and artists; sitting down in this bar with a good coffee and browsing an old newspaper made available by the owners will screen us for a brief but pleasant moment in the Italian Renaissance.

Let's go now towards our second and very charming stage: Prato della Valle, "THE MEADOW WITHOUT GRASS", so called because primarily there was no growing grass, but only trees... strolling into the square on a day of sun will give us a feeling of peace and harmony, almost impossible to experience in any other place. This is the second largest square in Europe, but what makes it unique is the particular combination of different elements: the green island that lies in the center, the blue channel that surrounds it and which reflected the 78 statues of the past, the balance of the four paths that all lead to the center (the island) and finally the bridges which give it a special touch of romance!
This space have unrolled different functions: it was theater, circus, a place of fighting, site for fairs, rides, markets and even cemetery.
Today for Paduans is a meeting place, a place to stroll, study, relax under the sun or to attend parties organized, for example, during the New Year or in August.

The third dutiful stop "THE SAINT WITHOUT NAME" for St. Anthony of Padua is simply "The Saint". The devotion that binds people to the city's patron is great and the Basilica of St. Anthony is extraordinary, it's known just as "The Saint".
It is also in the center of the city and its imposing structure is characterized by a perfect fusion of Romanesque and Gothic elements, which give it a touch of uniqueness and make it unmistakable to the visitor, who faced him for the first time. A visit inside the church will allow us to breathe an atmosphere full of mysticism, but also a very pleasant surprise when we face the works of artists such as Giotto, Mantegna and Donatello ... which have created and left here as elsewhere in the city, several works.

To Giotto, for example, is due the decoration of the Scrovegni Chapel, another symbol of the city that certainly deserves our visit. Enrico Scrovegni commissioned its construction in 1300 and entrusted to Giotto to decorate the walls and vault. There are narrated scenes from the life of Mary and Jesus, but what is most striking is undoubtedly the ceiling of a very intense blue fully studded with stars. Raising our eyes towards the vault will give us the feeling of living in a fairy tale, and when we will wake, once looked down, we will find the spectacular, as impressive, Judgement. In the highest part there is the majestic image of Christ surrounded by Angels and Apostles, while in the lowest part, according to tradition, are represented the damned afflicted by their sorrow.

Our tour ends here, but the city of Padua is rich in other interesting places that will amaze you and that are very easy to visit, thanks to PadovaCard: a real "passkey" for Padua and its province. This card provides various discounts and incentives to use for public transport, car parks, the City Sightseeing Bus, but allows, above all, free visits to 12 sites of great historic and artistic interest, including the entire Paduan system of civic museum, and reductions for 24 other monuments.
The discovery of Padua will be amazing, inexpensive and will give you the opportunity to visit many cities in one... now that you know the itinerary, you only have to reach Padua!