In the city finally fell to Venice, in to Napoleon, and finally to Austria. With one of the oldest universities in Italy , Padua was always an intellectual and artistic centre, which brought many art treasures to the city and made it a hotbed of revolutionary ideas.
According to a legend, Padua was founded around BC by the Trojan Antenor and is therefore thought to be one of the oldest cities in Italy. The region around Padua then developed very quickly into an important centre of the Venetians. In the battle against the Celts, Padua did very well until it was incorporated into the Roman Empire in BC and granted town status. The city quickly developed into one of the most important and richest trading cities of Rome and produced many famous personalities such as the Roman historian Livy.
After the destruction of the city, Padua recovered only very slowly and was first incorporated into the Frankish and later into the Holy Roman Empire. During the investiture controversy between the emperor and pope, Padua joined the Lombardy Association of Cities and stood against the emperor.
However, in Padua left the league of cities early and signed a truce with the emperor. Although Padua gained its independence , it was assigned a Podesta by the emperor — a kind of city manager — who took charge of the city.
This situation quickly emerged as a problem for the city as the Podesta, especially the house of Ezzelino Romano III , oppressed the city with their tyranny. It was only in the 13 th century under the rule of the house of Carrara that Padua was able to extend its sphere of influence; the third oldest university in Italy was founded and a new era of arts funding was initiated.
The decline of the Carrara family also started the decline of Padua as an independent city and so the city fell to Venice in The Venetian rule did not diminish the cultural development of the city. The historic centre of Padua is dominated by the imposing Palazzo della Ragione, which was built in the year to host the court of justice on the upper floor, and various shops on the ground floor. The three squares surrounding the palace - Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza della Frutta and Piazza dei Signori - are the site of Padua's daily market, which has been taking place here for more than years.
The squares are lined by bars, restaurants, shops and historical buildings. Another great monumental area is around St. A short distance away you can visit the University Botanical Garden, one of oldest in the world and the Prato della Valle, one of the largest town squares in Europe. Anthony is venerated to the point of being simply called Il Santo The Saint , the same way you would call your parents simply mum and dad. On the other hand, Padua is the place where the second oldest Italian University was established in Throughout the centuries, famous scientists taught and studied in it.
The relationship between religion and science in Padua, Italy is not exactly symbiotic, though. Both occupy different layers of the city with art, history, and culture wedged between them. This makes Padua even more exciting to explore. You can literally choose which of its faces to see or opt to have a multifaceted approach to this Italian city. Ancient civilisations settled and prospered here.
Most importantly, to this day Padua continues to be a flourishing city with a lively vibe to it. If all this has picked your curiosity and you want to learn about Padua a bit more, this blog post will come in very handy.
It gives you facts about ten different facets of this Italian city. From science to religion, from history to art, and from food to important personalities that left their imprint on Padua, the information included here covers many topics. As such, it gives you a good understanding of what the city stands for. It also guides you to the sights that are relevant to the different facts.
So, you can use this blog post as a thematic travel guide and as a source of inspiration and ideas for your explorations of Padua, Italy. Through these facts, I introduce you to Padua the way I saw this beautiful Italian city over the six years that I spent living nearby. I often travelled there for day trips, sometimes up to ten times a month. So, read on! I hope that by the end of this extensive list you will be just as fascinated by Padua in Italy as I am.
And, hopefully, you will put it on your travel wish list to visit and explore in detail as and when the right time comes along. Although its etymology is not certain, one theory is that Patavium was based on Padus — the old name of the River Po. In English and many other languages, the city is known under its medieval Latin name — Padua. This itself was based on Padoa — the name of the city in the Venetian language.
This was the language spoken in the Republic of Venice of which Padua became part in By the way, you can see the Padova sign in the picture above in a lovely coffee shop called Caffeine in the centre of Padua. Padua was founded in BC. This makes Padua years older than Rome! Some even consider Padua to be the oldest city in Northern Italy. He was a Trojan prince and a counsellor of King Priam of Troy.
Antenor, actually, advocated for the Beautiful Helen to be returned to the Greeks. It is believed that after the fall of Troy, Antenor led the tribe of the Eneti also called Veneti — who were allies of Troy — from what nowadays is Northern Turkey to the lands around the river Brenta in what nowadays is the Northern Italian region of the Veneto.
There he founded Padua in BC. The photo above shows you what it looks like. For centuries it was believed that the large sarcophagus contained the remains of the Trojan hero. Unfortunately, in modern technology dispelled this belief. Several bridges, an arena and a river port were built at that time. There was also an attempt to regulate the waters surrounding the city. Many Roman roads crossed Padua including Via Annia. It connected the city with important Roman centres and stimulated commerce.
By the end of the 1st century BC, Padua is alleged to have been the richest city in Italy after Rome. With its 40, inhabitants and wealth based on horse breeding and the production of wool and woollen garments, Padua was also famous as a place of strict morals, unlike Rome. The Archaeological Museum which is part of them has a very well-curated collection shedding light on life in and around Patavium before and during its Roman period.
Between the 5th and the 9th centuries AD Padua was sacked several times. The result is that not much of its Roman heritage has survived to this day. Or you can take a guided tour of the underground area of the medieval town hall Palazzo della Ragione to see the Roman and medieval ruins there. The bloodiest siege that Padua suffered during this period lasted 12 years! It started after the citizens of the city rose against Agilulf — the Lombard king.
In AD, the Lombards stormed the city after the long siege and burned it. Many citizens of Padua took refuge on the islands in the Venetian Lagoon thus contributing to the creation of Venice. It took Padua centuries to return to its former glory. Padua functioned as a free comune in the 11th, the 12th, and the beginning of the 13th centuries. Unfortunately, the city was beffalen by grave misfortunes — from devastating earthquakes to a city-wide fire.
Still, one of the most important things that happened here during this period was the foundation of the University of Padua in This is the second oldest University in Italy and it has a long and illustrious history. Above, you can see a photo of the courtyard of Palazzo Bo.
His cruelty was such that Dante depicted him in the depths of Hell in his Divine Comedy. A number of sights from this period survive in Padua to this day, most notably La Torlonga. This is a tall tower pictured above which was used by the tyrant as a prison.
There are several ghostly legends connected to it which you can read here. The tower was restructured significantly through the centuries. During most of the 14th century, Padua was ruled by the medieval Carrara dynasty. Nowadays, you can see the tombs of two of its members in the Church of the Eremitani here. The church also has precious frescoes by Guariento and Andrea Mantegna , so a visit is highly recommended. You will find it right next door to the Eremitani Civic Museums.
In , Padua was conquered by the Republic of Venice. The Venetians ruled here until the fall of their Republic in There are many vestiges of this period all over the city. Throughout its history, Padua had a complex defensive system of walls and ramparts. They made the city impregnable. These walls and their gates are still standing to this day, almost entirely intact.
They are beautiful to look at, walk on and take photos of. Padua has a very interesting historic centre with countless sights and places to explore over several days.
The most important sights can be seen in a day if you stick rigidly to this proposed schedule. The chapel was fully frescoed around by the Florentine artist Giotto and his students.
The Biblical scenes depicted here are replete with human emotions. For this, the fresco cycle is universally considered to be the first masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. Visits to the Scrovegni Chapel follow a strict timetable and only a limited number of people are allowed in for each time slot. It was constructed there in For more details on this, have a look at the article I wrote for BBC Travel about Padua as the birthplace of modern medicine.
Nowadays, the anatomical theatre can be seen as part of the guided tour of Palazzo Bo. The tour is highly recommended. This is where meetings and tribunals deciding the fate of Padua and its citizens have been held for centuries. The palazzo has three floors. The top floor is taken entirely by the enormous Great Hall.
The hall is fully frescoed with scenes depicting the Labours of the Months. The ground floor of the palazzo houses delis, fishmongers, butchers, bakeries, coffee shops, bars, and eateries selling traditional local food. The underground floor can be accessed only as part of a guided tour and this is where you can see Roman and early medieval ruins. Their names are Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta.
A daily market has been held on them for the past years. Nowadays, the market spills over on Piazza dei Signori — a third important historical square in Padua which is right next door to Palazzo della Ragione. Click here for extensive details about these three squares. It was also used as the stage for public ceremonies. Tournaments and festivals took place here.
Nowadays, a daily market Sundays excluded sells homewares and bric-a-brac creating a lively atmosphere. Piazza dei Signori is best enjoyed after the daily market has finished trading for the day and after all the stalls have been cleared away. Then you can truly appreciate the beauty of the square and the buildings which surround it. Some consider it to be the oldest clock in the world.
There are three curious things about it. One is that at noon the hour hand points straight down instead of straight up. This is because the dial is divided in 24 rather than 12 sections. Click here to find out the other two things. A lovely building you can admire at Piazza dei Signori, is the stunning Loggia del Consiglio also known as the Loggia della Gran Guardia. This is where the Great Council of the City held its meetings after a large fire devastated in the nearby Palazzo della Ragione.
During the Austrian domination of Padua, the loggia was used as military headquarters. Nowadays, it is a centre where exhibitions and cultural initiatives take place. This is a pillar on top of which stands a statue of the winged Venetian lion Padua was part of the Republic of Venice from to The pillar was erected at that spot in the midth century. Curiously enough, the pillar is made of parts which are much older than that.
For example, the marble column and the capital are Roman and were discovered in near the Church of San Marco.
The lion was sculpted in by Natale Sanavio to replace the one destroyed by the troops of Napoleon in Across from the Colonna Marciana stands a large flagpole. It has a marble base from the 16th century. The marble panels on its four sides depict the cardinal virtues.
0コメント