How to Spend a Day in Padua, Padova, Italy

A lesser visited university town in the north of Italy, within easy reach of Venice or Verona. Majestic buildings, arcaded streets and peaceful canals. And not just one, but two, UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are just a few of the reasons to spend a day in Padua.

Padua is home to the second oldest university in Italy (the oldest is in Bologna). This, plus the historical wealth of the city, has created a legacy of grand buildings, many filled with the medieval frescoes for which Padua is famous.

It is also an important place of pilgrimage: St Anthony is buried in Padua and the 25 km Walk of Saint Anthony ends here. Then there is the Shakespeare connection: this was the setting for his play Taming of the Shrew. As you walk the shady colonnaded streets you can imagine yourself back in that world, in the place that Petruchio describes as “fair Padua, nursery of the arts”.

Perhaps best of all (especially if you are day tripping from Venice) is the relative lack of tourists, allowing a respite from the crowds. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).