Padua

Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel frescoes and the 14th-century fresco cycles are World Heritage, the city has Europe's oldest botanical garden and a centuries-old university, and the Brenta Riviera villas are close by.

Padua lies in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy, about 35 km from Venice and 80 km from Verona. It is an old city with a university founded 800 years ago, where Galileo once taught. Padua is famous for its "three withouts": "the saint without a name, the meadow without grass and the café without doors", meaning the Basilica of Saint Anthony, Prato della Valle and Caffè Pedrocchi. In 2021, "Padua's fourteenth-century fresco cycles" were inscribed as a World Heritage Site, centered on Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel; the Orto Botanico di Padova is also World Heritage. The old town is easily explored on foot: the chapel and Eremitani Museums in the north; the Palazzo della Ragione and the three squares of Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza della Frutta and Piazza dei Signori in the center; and the Basilica of Saint Anthony, the botanical garden and Prato della Valle in the south. Nearby, visit the Brenta Riviera villas (with boat trips to Venice), or head south to the Euganean Hills for Arquà Petrarca, baroque gardens and thermal spas. The best seasons are April–June and September–October; summers are muggy and winters foggy. Venice airport is about 50 minutes away, high-speed trains between Milan and Venice stop here, and a tram serves the old town. Be sure to book the Scrovegni Chapel in advance. Allow 2–3 days.

Top sights

• Scrovegni Chapel – A chapel with a complete cycle of frescoes by Giotto, painted around 1305 and regarded as the starting point of Western painting's move tow…
• Basilica of Saint Anthony – An important Catholic pilgrimage site with eight domes that blend Byzantine and Gothic styles. It holds the tomb of Saint Anthony and a bro…
• Prato della Valle – One of Italy's largest squares, with an oval green island surrounded by a canal and 78 statues. A favorite leisure spot for locals.
• Orto Botanico di Padova – The oldest university botanical garden in the world, founded in 1545. A World Heritage Site, with the 'Goethe Palm,' which Goethe once stud…
• Palazzo della Ragione – A medieval law court hall with a boat-hull wooden roof, which is one of the largest columnless halls in Europe. Its walls are covered with…
• Palazzo Bo – The main building of the University of Padua, founded in 1222, which houses the world's first permanent anatomy theatre and Galileo's lecte…
• Piazza delle Erbe & Piazza della Frutta – Two open-air market squares on either side of the Palazzo della Ragione, where you can shop for fruit and vegetables in the morning and enj…
• Piazza dei Signori & Clock Tower – The historic heart of the old town. The astronomical clock from 1437 shows the zodiac signs and phases of the moon, and it is one of the ol…
• Padua Cathedral & Baptistery – The baptistery is covered from floor to ceiling with 14th-century frescoes by Giusto de' Menabuoi, and the dome shows Christ surrounded by…
• Basilica of Santa Giustina – A Benedictine basilica on the south side of Prato della Valle, completed in the 16th century and one of the largest churches in Italy.
• Church of the Eremitani – A 13th-century church next to the Scrovegni Chapel, whose Ovetari Chapel preserves fragments of early frescoes by Mantegna.
• Eremitani Civic Museums – Civic museums housed in a former monastery, with archaeology and art galleries, including Giotto's Crucifix.
• Caffè Pedrocchi – A neoclassical café opened in 1831, once known as the café without doors, and famous for its mint coffee.
• Oratory of Saint George & Scuola del Santo – A small chapel beside Piazza del Santo, its walls covered in 14th-century frescoes by Altichiero. The upper hall has early frescoes by Titi…
• La Specola – An 18th-century observatory in a converted medieval castle tower. Galileo taught in Padua, and the top of the tower offers views over the c…
• Padua Jewish Ghetto – A medieval neighbourhood of narrow lanes near Piazza della Signoria, lined with arcades, small restaurants, craft shops and bars.
• Loggia and Odeo Cornaro – A Renaissance loggia and music hall built in 1524, considered one of the earliest classical-style buildings in the Veneto.
• Villa Pisani, Stra – The grandest of the villas along the Brenta, the 'King of Villas', with a ceiling by Tiepolo and a famous hedge maze.
• Arquà Petrarca – A medieval stone village in the Euganean Hills, where the poet Petrarch spent his final years. His house and tomb are still preserved.
• Abano Terme – A famous European spa town known for its mud therapy, with many hotels offering indoor and outdoor thermal pools.
• Garden of Villa Barbarigo, Valsanzibio – A 17th-century Baroque garden with water features, statues and a famous boxwood maze, often ranked among Europe's most beautiful gardens.
• Villa dei Vescovi – A 16th-century Renaissance villa in the Euganean Hills, with loggias overlooking vineyards. It is managed by FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano).
• Praglia Abbey – A 12th-century abbey still home to Benedictine monks. Its four cloisters and manuscript restoration workshop can be visited on a guided tou…
• Monselice Castle & Via Sacra – The hill town of Monselice, with a medieval castle and the Via Sacra, a path climbing past seven small churches to the ruins of a fortress.
• Castello del Catajo – A fortified 16th-century palace of the Obizzi family with 350 rooms, whose great halls are covered with frescoes of family history.
• Cittadella Walls – A fortified town of the 13th century with a complete oval wall, and a walkway of about 1.5 km along the top of the ramparts.

Where to eat

• Osteria dal Capo – A traditional osteria in the old Jewish Ghetto near the Cathedral, famous for local dishes like calf's liver, marinated…
• La Folperia – A red seafood stall in Piazza delle Erbe at the foot of Palazzo della Ragione, serving boiled baby octopus to stand and…
• Belle Parti – A Michelin-listed restaurant located in the historic Palazzo Prosdocimi, known for seasonal seafood and classic dishes.
• Enotavola Pino – A Michelin-listed seafood restaurant in the old town, accessed through a wine bar, offering an extensive selection of w…
• Trattoria San Pietro – A family-run trattoria operating for decades with limited seating and a short menu, serving seasonal Venetian home-styl…
• Antica Osteria Nane della Giulia – An old osteria set in a 15th-century workshop, featuring a handwritten dialect menu that changes with the market, speci…

Itineraries

• Venice Art Districts and Padua In Depth – Stay in Dorsoduro for a leisurely visit to museums and local neighborhoods, plus a day in Padua for Giotto's frescoes.
• Verona to Venice Art Cities by Rail – Travel east by train through Verona, Vicenza, Padova, and Venice to admire Roman and Renaissance architecture.
• Venice and Verona, Dolomites Day Trips – Stay on Venice's main island and make day trips to Verona, the Brenta Riviera villas and the Dolomites.