Padua, Italy

Padua, Italy

Padua is a well-known city thanks to its university which is the second oldest university in Italy, the old frescoes of Giotto, the Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua and the botanical garden. Apart from these places you can visit the Scrovegni Chapel, historic squares such as Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza delle frutta, Prato della Valle and museums etc.

Travellers can see the frescoes of Giotto inside the Scrovegni Chapel, which was constructed in 1300. The other important places are the Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, where the relics of Saint Anthony are found. This church is secret among a lot of local and foreign pilgrims. Each year, they organize huge celebrations on the first of May. On that day, this place gets crowded with foreign pilgrims. Even though there is a huge car park, it is hard to find a parking spot on the first of May. So, I prefer to go there by train on this day.

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But I would like to recommend visiting this place on a day other than the first of May, since you would not be able to see the relics of Saint Anthony and the beauty of the church properly. When I entered this place for the first time, I was amazed by the arts and architecture of the church, which was mixed with Gothic, Byzantine and Romanesque arts. Inside this religious complex, you can visit a small museum and get to know about the story and the history of Saint Anthony. According to the works of literature, the church has started to be built in 1238 and completed in 1310.

Besides that, you can enjoy street foods and street markets on that day. But, these street markets are not only limited to that day. You can enjoy them on weekends as well. Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza dei Signori and Piazza dei Frutti host street markets from Monday to Saturday. These markets are filled with a variety of fruit, vegetables, salami, cheese, seeds, flowers and herbs.

During the summer season, live musical shows are performed in the open areas on a grand scale. These activities are famous among the University students. Exclusive of, Padua hosts folk festivals, live musical concerts, cultural events, debate contests, silent night parties during the summer seasons such as Sherwood Music Festival.

Besides that, you can visit the Botanical Garden, which is affiliated with the University of Padua. The history of the garden dates back to 1545 and the garden was named "Orto Botanico". This place is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen thanks to its diversified collection of plants including palm trees, poisonous plants, medical plants, aromatic plants etc. If you are a nature lover, then you should visit this place. I loved visiting medical and poisonous plants since they were quite important and rare to see.

In this city, you can enjoy a lot of Italian food including pasta, pizzas etc. It is full of a variety of restaurants and bars. If you wish to drink a coffee from a historical place, then you should go to the Pedrocchi café which was launched in 1831.

You can reach Padua easily by train or by bus. Since I live in Verona, it takes around one hour to go there by car. Somehow, this city is a popular destination for the travellers who are going to visit Verona, Florence, Venice and Milan.

I have taken some pictures on the Internet to give you the original impression of the city.