Padua is world famous for its medieval art, yet it is also a vibrant

Padua
Pa dua is world famous for its medieval art, yet it is also a
vibrant, contemporary mix of busy markets, pilgri mage and
freethinking . Jane Gifford explores the heart of the town
he n I firsr s te p ped OUt ins ide Pad ua's city wall s it was
rain ing . Even so the p lace was buzzin g . T he ci ty has an
air of excitem ent , no doubt supplem en ted by the large
number of s t ud e n ts here and, happ ily, in Padua rai n
d oesn't m ean yo u have to ge t wet . Ar ch ed porticoes line
alm ost eve ry St reet, keeping you dry in wet w eat he r and offeri ng cooling shad e
in sun ny wea th er. From a b r idge , I w at ched the R iver Bacch ig lion e ci rcl ing the
old town . Ta ll houses, so m e w ith balc on ies , l ine che rive r, th e hea lt h o f wh ic b
was indicated b y a m an sa t in hi s a rm c hai r fishing from his balc on y,
Padua 's old rown is de signed for pe d estrian s and is co m pac t en ou gh to
be eas ily cove red on foo t . St reet life Aou r ish es day a nd n ig ht , an d wa lk ing
is a p leas u re. Padua's cen tre m ostl y escaped t he bombs of the world wars '
and has kep t its orig inal m ed ieva l s t ree t pla n. J quickly fell in love wi th rhe
backs rree ts. They are safe , cl ea n and have remai ned un ch ang ed for hund reds of
years. Un sur pri sing ly, the fri en dl y a nd we lco m ing Pad uau s are pr oud of the ir
Inh eri tan ce. T heir cit y is often ove r-s hadowed by ne igbbourin g Venice and
t hey a re keen to sho w th e wo rld just how m uc h they hav e to offe r. Th e To u ris t
Infor m at ion Ce n t re has an am azing am ou n t o f beaur ifu tiy pro d uced li te ra tu re to
int rod uce yo u to th e c ity. You ca n sa m pl e a lirr le o f w hat Pad ua has to o ffer in
48 hou rs a nd chen you w ill wa ne to co m e back for m ore .
Lib eral t h in k ing has been Padua 's bu sin ess since decl a ring irse lf a Repub lic
In l l 6 4 and st ud en ts have been esse n tia l to the econ om y for nea rly SOO
"=>
W
D I SC OV E R ITALIA!
WHERE TO STAY
METHIS HOTEL 0
Riviera Paleacapa, 70
... +39 049 872 5555
www.methishotel.com
My hotel was in a quiet spot on the river
close to La Specoia (a:'very high tower
built in 1242). It was easy to reach by car
and all of the centre is within pleasant
walkinq distance. The hotel opened in
2003 and is beautifully designed wit h four
themed floors - earth, air, fire and water.
The staff are young and friendly and the
breakfasts fantastic. A guest commented
that the hotel had clearly been 'feng
shuied' in every corner.
Double room £100-£400
MAJESTIC HOTEL TOSCANELLI 0
Via dell'Arco, 2
... +39 049 663244
www.toscanelli.com
This is a small, traditional hotel in an
18th-century building in the centre of
town, in the old ghett o, close to Piazza
delle Erbe, the university and Caffe
Pedrocchi. Un usually, it has an entire floor
set aside for smokers.
D9uble room from £130
HOTEL DONATELLO 0
Via del Som, 102/ 104
... +39 049 875 0634
www.hoteldonatello.net
Situated across from the Basilica of
St Anthony, the Hotel Donatello has
pleasant rooms. some with a great view
of the domes and Gattamelata. There is
a summer terrace for candle-lit dining
al fresco. Small pets are allowed.
Double room from £165
HOTEL VERDI 0
Via Dandi dall'Oroloqio, 7
'" +39 049 836 4163
www.albergoverdipadova.it
Small, modern and beautiful, this stylish
little hotel has recently been refurbished
and is very reasonably priced. J ust a
short walk from Piazza dei Signori, the
unversity and the Teatro Ve rdi, Hotel
Verdi offers a peaceful stay despite
its central location.
Dauble room from £40-€200, depending
on the season, including breakfast
AL FAGIANO
Via Antonio Locatelli, 45
... +39 049 875 0073
www.alfagiano.com
This friendly hotel is close to Pra to della
Va lle and just 100m from St Anthony's
Basilica. For visito rs travelling on foot.
the connections from the train station are
direct and quick. This hotel offers a warm
and inviting at mosphere.
Double roam from UO
46 ITALlA! November 2007
>-
BASILICA Of
STANTHONY'
The sh'rine-is
dedicated to
'. St Anthony of
Padua .and'is
visited by more
than 5 million
pilqrims every
year: 'On 13 lillie
the dty enjoys '
the Feast & .
Celeb ratio~ of
St Anthony;' with'
uninterrupted '
religious
.celebrations
at the basilica
'and a holy
procession, For
details go' to .
www.basilica
delS.anto.org
yea rs. T he link berween learning
and co mm ercial and social freedom
has mad e rhe ci ry scrong. .
AN ENLIGHTENED CITY
T he u ni versi ty here was founde d in
122 2, ma ki ng ir rhe second old est
in Ital y - Bolog na was the ear liest .
En ligh rened Pad ua was , however, firsr
co accep t fem ale sr udenrs , wi rh Elena
Lucrezia Piscopi a g rad uating over
300· years ag o in rhe sum me r of 1678 .
M od em medicin e was also pio nee red
ar Pad ua U niversiry, Irs ana tomical
th eatre, da ring back ro 15 94 , is rhe
oldes t in rhe world . G al ileo Galilei
was teaching his revo lutionary
asrrono m ical rheor ies he re (159 2-16)
at th e sa me t im e as rh e th eatre was
be ing bu ile. Tod ay, th e L epa rrrn e nr of
As t rono m y is housed in La Sp eco !a, a
m edi eval cas tle cower cop ped wit h an
l S th -cen cury observato ry.
Bu r ic's rhe Sccovcg ni Ch ape l char
is th e jewel in Pad ua 's crown. Bui lt
by rhe J ewish Sc roveg ni fam ily, t hey
com m ission ed Gi orco co paint a cycle
of frescoes insid e, de pict ing rh e lives
of M ary and J esus, rhe P assion and
rhe Last Judgem enr . Gio rtos wo rk
is now consid ered ro be rhe g rearesr
m asterpiece of Eu ropean 14 th cen tu ry a rt. T he work is so valuable ,
visi tor num bers have ro be regu lated .
Afte r si tting in an arrnosphe rical ly
cont rolled room for 15 m in u tes you
are rhe n only allowed ano ther 15
minu tes insi de. You need ten to take
in th e amazing bl ue of rhe domed
starry ceiling, w h ich m ust have cost
a fortu ne in lap is lazuli alone. I was
lefr wir h jusr five min ut es ro follow
the frescoes aro und the walls. T here's
no r enoug h rime co do rhem justice.
I cam e out dazed bur g lad co have had
a g lim pse of Gio rr o's genius . Ne xr
door, in th e Erem itani City Museum ,
l -lrh -century G uari enro's hierarchy
of the angels s role the show, pain ted
pr edom inantly in red and gol d .
Back on th e srree rs rhe 9,1 1
m em oria l, 'Mem o ry and Light', came
as a surprise. Designed by Dani el
Libeskin d in g lass an d steel around a
g irde r from rhe cowers, ir was do nated
co Padua by New York Ci ry in thanks
for mo ney raised for the victi ms . T his
poi gnan t remi nde r b roug ht me back
co rhe mod ern wo rld w ich a bump
and [ decid ed co head for the calm of
rhe narrow st ree ts of rhe old J ewish
q uarter, no w a chic an d popu lar place
wi th locals. Sit ti ng ou tside under
bro ad um br ellas , l'antico gbeuo prov ed
the perfecr pla ce co ear before rak ing
on che neig h bo ur ing marker sq uares.
Piazza delle Erbe and P iazza de lla
F ru rta have been rhe si te ota daily