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

Parma.

I apologise for not having kept up to date with this blog. It's fair to say I have been TERRIBLE but I have bought a journal/scrap bookback from the xmas holidays and having looked through everything that I have collected from my various trips I will hopefully now find it easier to update this.


This was the third on the list and I went here waaaay back in October '13 for the day with 4 friends.

We arrived and surprise surprise our first stop was lunch. I had done some research (which I thoroughly recommend when visiting somewhere new, especially for the day) and after wondering around trying to find the place I had seen online, we were about to give up and give over to our rumbling tummies and go to the next place we saw. Thankfully we found the restaurant, and thank goodness we did!

The place is called Trattoria Corrieri on Via Conservatorio which is a fairly empty street behind the university, you might need a map!

This place was highly recommended on Trip Advisor and by Italian locals and rightly so!
It was a saturday when we went and even though we hadn't booked there was one table left, the place was jam-packed with italian families, which is always a good sign!

As we were in Parma, we just had to have the shared starter of torta fritta (or fried pillows of bread) and a platter of prosciutto crudo (parma ham) and parmigiano reggiano (parmesan). What a treat to have parmesan and parma ham in Parma!!!!! We were pretty full up after all of that food but went on to have some tagliatelle al ragu, all washed down with a bottle of red wine, of course.

We then thought we had better do something cultural, or rather I forced the others into it.

They thanked me however, as the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Steccata
in Parma is beautiful with a dome painted to look like the ascension into heaven.

 

We didn't pay for the basilica but it's still a pretty good view from the outside so it's enough to just wonder around so you can save the pennies for something else. i.e. food.... ;)

The Duomo has a crypt so make sure you find the stairs down to it once you get inside!













Round the back of the duomo I had heard of a gelateria who's ice cream was supposedly made by nuns. Much to the amusement of my friends. Its called K2 and is on Strada Benedetto Cairoli. We didn't see any nuns unfortunately but the ice cream was pretty good, although that might just have been because they made it in a cool flower shape on your cone. 

The beautiful architecture of Parma!

Make sure you stop off at the deli shops on the way back to the train station!

For me, it doesn't get better.. Parmesan and Parma ham from Parma. mmmmmmm...

All in all, Parma is a lovely city with plenty to see and do in a day. I can't wait to go back!