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 astrological frescoes.
Built in 1218, the upper-floor hall is about 80 metres long and has a wooden roof shaped like an upturned ship's hull, with not a single column in sight. The four walls are covered with 15th-century astrological and religious frescoes (the originals by Giotto were destroyed in a fire and later repainted), and there is also a giant wooden horse. The arcades on the ground floor house an indoor food market that has operated for centuries, connected to the Piazza delle Erbe and the Piazza della Frutta on either side. Tickets cost about €7, and the palace is closed on Mondays.
Opening hours
Tue–Sun, 09:00–19:00
Nearby sights
- Piazza delle Erbe & Piazza della Frutta
- Piazza dei Signori & Clock Tower
- Padua Jewish Ghetto
- Caffè Pedrocchi
- Palazzo Bo
- Padua Cathedral & Baptistery
- Church of the Eremitani
- Eremitani Civic Museums