Discovering Padua, a dynamic city with a medieval heart

20^th of July 2013

One Saturday we went to visit cousins in Padua for a lovely tour of the city and dinner. We spent an enjoyable afternoon seeing the sights of Padua as Giuseppe and Paolo explained the history of all that we saw. It was enlightening and allowed us to see and experience much more than a tourist. At times, I could feel myself being taken back in time, the modern world becoming a faded blur and imagine the people of medieval times walking the streets, buying vegetables from a vendor, a child chasing a cat or a young man winking at a young girl passing by.

Padua is a city of many surprises, rich in history and art but also pulsates with a modern beat. One will find a fascinating mix of medieval and renaissance architecture and history, intertwined with the rhythms of a metropolitan university city.

As we embarked on our tour of Padua we walked under beautiful porticoes that shaded us from the hot sun. Padua is well known as a city which has the most kilometres of porticoes. As we crossed a bridge, we came upon our first historical monument, La Specola, an astronomic observatory built in the 18^th century. It is also known as Galileo’s tower as he had observed the stars and tested astronomic theories from this tower.

 

La Specola can be seen towering beyond the river

To the unknown eye, the church in Piazza Duomo may seem like another red bricked church; however, this is the Cathedral of Padua, accompanied by the Baptistery alongside it. The oldest part of the building dates back to the 12^th century.

 

 

Daily scenes from Piazza Duomo and the Cathedral

It may lack beauty as it is missing a façade but it is still an important landmark of Padua history. The façade was the very last touch the builder added to a church he was commissioned to build as it served as his security for payment. If he received full payment then the building was elaborately decorated with a façade, if the builder was not paid in full then with misfortune, the front of the building would remain bare.

 

The Cathedral in Piazza Duomo

In 1218 Palazzo della Ragione was built to host the court of justice. It dominated the historic centre of Padua and is surrounded by three squares, Piazza dei Signori, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta.

 

 

Mom and Paolo in Piazza delle Erbe

In the Renaissance Piazza dei Signori there is a beautiful clock proudly crafted on the clock tower of the Capitanio Palace. From this clock one will be able to determine the date, month and even star sign of the month.

 

 

Clock tower of the Capitanio Palace in Piazza dei Signori

When we arrived, Piazza dei Signori was alive with the hustle and bustle of market day. The square has observed Padua’s market life for over 800 years. At the one end of the piazza, as you pass through an archway to Piazza della Frutta, you will notice circular and rectangular markings on the wall. These markings were an old method of measurement to determine whether the vendor had sold you the correct size and weight of bread or product. If a vendor was found that he had cheated a customer he would be taken to Palazzo della Ragione to be trialled and if found guilty, would be hang by the waist from the archway so that all could see he was a cheater and a liar.

On summer evenings, the market place transforms into a lively array of tables and chairs of the bars and cafés which cover the square.

 

Piazza dei Signori

The city centre is free from traffic and pedestrians can calmly walk the cobbled streets, allowing yourself to be distracted by the picturesque streets, historical monuments, canals, street cafés, bookshops, high-fashion boutiques (just do not fall over backwards when you see the price of a dress is 1 200 Euro and that is on sale – truth be told!), galleries and ice-cream shops.

Walking tour of Padua with an ice-cream in hand

Walking along we passed elaborate buildings belonging to the University of Padua. The university was established in 1222 and is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second oldest in Italy (after the University of Bologna). As we walked up from Canton del Gallo, a street which marks the precise centre of the old town, we came across Caffé Pedrocchi.

 

 

Caffé Pedrocchic from each side

Caffé Pedrocchi has been entertaining people from as early as 1831 and is one of the most famous historical caffés in Italy. Although, back in 1831, the caffés did not have any doors, it was more like an open-air caffé.

As our tour moved on, we came to Prato delle Valle, known as the lawn without grass. This is my favourite attraction of Padua. It is an oval shaped square surrounded by a canal. All along the outer rim of the square is a series of bridges that cross the canal and over 50 statues, all different from each other, encircle the square.

In the morning a market is held at Prato delle Valle but in the evening it bursts alive with people coming for a stroll, relaxing under a tree, enjoying the refreshing spray from the fountain, young couples meeting each for an embrace and even people on roller blades showing off their skills.



 

Prato delle Valle

We passed through Prato delle Valle to reach the famous St. Anthony’s Basilica which holds the remains of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of lost things. Pilgrims from all over the world come to St. Anthony with hope and faith to brush their hand across his marble tomb and offer a silent prayer.

Unfortunately the façade of St. Anthony’s was been restored and unattractively bared scaffolding to a photographer. This photo was taken from the side of the basilica.

You can get lost for hours in St. Anthony’s Basilica as you silently walk across the cool marble floors, marvelling at the frescoes decorating the walls and ceilings. As you stare admirable at each fresco it is as if you are reading a page from a storybook the artist wrote hundreds of years ago. There is also a museum where one can view the relics of Saint Anthony.

Alongside St. Anthony is a monastery and as one exist the basilica you pass through a beautiful courtyard that boasts a large tree over 100 years old

On the other side of Prato delle Valle you will see Basilica of St. Giustina which keeps the remains of saints and martyrs of Christianity. On top of the basilica is a statue, just like on top of St. Anthony. They say that when the statues face each other you know it will be good weather but when the statues turn their backs to each other, bad weather is on its way.

Supper time had soon sprung up on us and we started to make our way home, winding through the streets of Padua.

 

 

Street scenes of Padua

Padua is a city not on the standard tourist map of Italy but the spirit of Padua will surely surprise you with its ancient charm and vibrant rhythms.