For my YearAbroad starting July 2013.



July 2013 : Paris

September 2013 - March 2014 : Ferrara, Italy

March 2014 - September 2014 : Modena, Italy

24/01/2014

Padua/Padova.


Next on the list was Padova (Padua in English!)




'Known as Padova in Italian, Padua may be the oldest city in northern Italy, if you believe the claims of its 12th-century BC founding by Trojans. It certainly has history, including its famous university (one of Europe’s oldest, from 1222), the 13th-century Basilica di Sant'Antonio (resting place of St. Anthony), and Scrovegni Chapel, with Giotto’s famed 14th century frescos. The magnificent Prato della Valle, a 950,000-square-foot elliptical square, is thought to be Europe’s second-biggest.'



Padova is 25 miles from Venice and so is often overlooked but the city has loads to offer!
We went on a Saturday which is market day, meaning that all the piazzas were full of stalls and the hustle and bustle of tourists. 



We stopped for lunch in the main square opposite the Palazzo della Ragione, great for people watching! We then went for a wonder and found the Prato della Valle which is an amazing square with a circular canal dotted with statues. It was a shame that it was a Saturday though because it meant that market stalls blocked a lot of the view!











 There is an amazing huuuuuge building called the Basilica di Santa Giustina but it was closed so I would like to go back and see what its like inside although even the outside provides an amazing backdrop to the Prato della Valle. We did manage to go inside the Basilica di Sant’Antonio which is a really nice church with a pretty cloisters and all for free, bonus!


We then decided to go to the Botanical Gardens which are at the side of the Prato della Valle. These are the oldest botanical gardens in the world, dating back to 1545!! It probably wasn't the best time of year to go, but even though not much was in full bloom, it was still a beautiful garden and a nice tranquil spot to sit and let our lunch go down!



Padova is a great city despite being given some negative information from local italians before I went. I think it needs another trip back, maybe on a week day, to be able to explore it fully as it seems that there's a lot more to see!


Here's a couple of websites with more tourist info:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/8803602/Padua-Italy-a-cultural-city-guide.html


http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187867-Padua_Province_of_Padua_Veneto-Vacations.html

No comments:

Post a Comment