Province of Padova
Padua is one of Italy's most learned cities, a crossroads of art, science and faith for over eight centuries
Updated 11 July 2026 · Sources: UNESCO World Heritage List - Padua's fourteenth-century fresco cycles · Basilica di Sant'Antonio di Padova - official site · Università degli Studi di Padova - official site · Orto Botanico di Padova - official site · Comune di Padova - tourism office
Province of Padova
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The story
The story of Province of Padova
Padua, city of knowledge
For centuries Padua has been synonymous with knowledge. Its identity springs from the meeting of university learning, popular devotion and an artistic vocation that has crossed the ages unscathed. Walking through the centre means moving among historic libraries, literary cafés such as the famous Pedrocchi, lecture halls that trained generations of doctors, lawyers and scientists, and craft workshops that endure through time. The city coexists with tens of thousands of out-of-town students, who bring evenings around Prato della Valle and the Navigli canals to life, without eroding its sober, elegant character. Padua never shows off too much: visitors gradually discover a dense heritage, often hidden behind silent porticoes and inner courtyards.
Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel
In 1303 the merchant Enrico Scrovegni commissioned Giotto to decorate the family chapel, to atone for his father's sins of usury. Between 1303 and 1305 this produced one of the most revolutionary painting cycles in the history of Western art: 38 scenes narrating the lives of Joachim, Anne, Mary and Christ, culminating in a Last Judgment on the entrance wall. Giotto abandoned Byzantine rigidity, introducing volume, perspective and, above all, human emotion in the figures' faces. The intense blue of the starry vault, the famous Lamentation over the Dead Christ and the Kiss of Judas remain among the most reproduced images in the world. Visits are limited and bookable online, with a brief stay in a climate-controlled decompression room to protect the frescoes.
Padua Urbs picta, UNESCO World Heritage
In 2021 UNESCO added eight fourteenth-century fresco complexes in Padua to the World Heritage List, grouped under the name 'Padua Urbs picta'. Besides the Scrovegni Chapel, the recognition includes the Church of the Eremitani, Palazzo della Ragione, the Baptistery of the Cathedral with frescoes by Giusto de' Menabuoi, the Oratory of San Giorgio, the Basilica of the Saint, the Carrarese Palace and the Church of San Francesco. Together they form a diffuse museum trail documenting the birth of modern European painting within a single century, from Giotto to his pupils. A combined ticket, the PadovaCard, includes entry to several sites plus public transport, ideal for an in-depth two- or three-day visit.
The Basilica of Saint Anthony
One of the most important pilgrimage sites in Christendom, the Basilica of Saint Anthony holds the tomb of the Saint, who died in Padua in 1231, visited every year by millions of faithful and tourists. Begun shortly after his canonisation, the building blends Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine styles, with domes recalling St Mark's in Venice. Inside are masterpieces by Donatello, who created the bronze high altar and the equestrian statue of Gattamelata in the square outside, among the first great equestrian monuments of the Renaissance. The Chapel of the Relics preserves the Saint's incorrupt tongue and chin. The Magnolia cloister and surrounding gardens offer a moment of quiet, while every 13 June the city celebrates its patron saint's feast with processions and markets.
The University and the Botanical Garden, the oldest in the world
Founded in 1222, the University of Padua is among the oldest on the planet and boasts an extraordinary roster of teachers: Galileo Galilei taught here for eighteen years, and in 1678 Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia became the first woman in the world to earn a university degree. Palazzo Bo, the university's historic seat, houses the 1594 Anatomical Theatre, the first permanent one built in Europe, and Galileo's lecture podium. Nearby stands the Botanical Garden, founded in 1545 by the Republic of Venice: it is the oldest university botanical garden in the world still in its original location, recognised as UNESCO World Heritage in 1997. Inside grows 'Goethe's palm', which inspired the German poet's studies on plant metamorphosis, alongside a modern Biodiversity Garden housed in bioclimatic greenhouses.
Prato della Valle, the largest square in Europe
At 90,000 square metres, Prato della Valle is one of the largest squares in Europe. At its centre lies an elliptical island, Memmia, surrounded by a canal crossed by four bridges and lined with 78 statues of illustrious figures tied to the city's history, including scientists, artists and military leaders. The area, once a marsh and later the site of Roman shows and medieval jousts, was reclaimed at the end of the 18th century under a plan by the Venetian podestà Andrea Memmo. Today it is Padua's green living room: it hosts the large Saturday market, city events, a winter ice rink and an antiques fair on the third Sunday of each month. On its southern side stands the Basilica of Santa Giustina, with its imposing dome and works by Veronese.
The Euganean Hills and the spas of Abano and Montegrotto
A few kilometres from Padua, the Euganean Hills form a volcanic amphitheatre dotted with vineyards, castles and medieval villages, protected as a Regional Park since 1989. The area produces prized DOC wines, such as Fior d'Arancio, and is home to the Abbey of Praglia, still inhabited by Benedictine monks who restore ancient books. At the foot of the hills lie Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme, the largest thermal basin in Europe, where hyperthermal waters have been exploited since Roman times for their curative properties on joints and respiratory tracts. Dozens of hotel spas offer mud-therapy and wellness treatments, making the area one of Italy's most visited thermal destinations, ideal to pair with a cultural weekend in Padua.
Este, Monselice and Cittadella: the province's historic towns
The province of Padua holds towns of great historic charm. Este, at the foot of the Euganean Hills, was once capital of the ancient Veneti civilisation and preserves an imposing Carrarese castle now home to a public park, along with the Atestino National Museum, with finds dating back to the 9th century BC. Monselice grew up around the Rocca and the devotional path of the Seven Churches, a 17th-century jubilee route climbing up to the Mastio Federiciano tower. Cittadella is unique in Italy for its perfectly preserved medieval walls, walkable along a raised 1,461-metre walkway, offering one of Europe's most complete walled-town experiences. Easily reached by car or train from Padua, these towns make ideal itineraries for slow tourism among history, military architecture and hillside landscapes.
Padua's flavours: from radicchio to bollito
Padua's cuisine is rooted in the Veneto's rural tradition, enriched by the city's university and merchant influences. Among its signature products is Cittadella radicchio, with its distinctive deep red colour and slightly bitter taste, a staple in risottos and side dishes. Bollito misto, served with pearà sauce (also typical of nearby Verona), is a local favourite, as is the Padovana hen, a native poultry breed recognised as a Slow Food presidium. In the historic centre's bàcari one sips a spritz alongside cicchetti made with creamed salt cod, sardines in saor and meatballs. Among desserts, Pinza cake and bussolai biscuits pair well with coffee at the famous Pedrocchi, a historic 19th-century café open day and night, a symbol of the city's intellectual life since the Risorgimento.
When to visit Padua
Padua can be enjoyably visited all year round thanks to its compact historic centre and numerous porticoes sheltering visitors from rain and sun. Spring, between April and June, offers mild temperatures ideal for strolls along the Navigli canals and excursions in the blooming Euganean Hills. Summer brings heat but also open-air events and university life that enlivens the evenings at Prato della Valle, while September and October offer golden light perfect for photographing the frescoes and the grape harvest in the hills. Winter, less crowded, is the best time to calmly enjoy the Scrovegni Chapel and pair the visit with a restorative stay at the Abano or Montegrotto spas. On 13 June, the feast of Saint Anthony, the city comes alive with processions and special markets.
Unmissable experiences
- Book the Scrovegni Chapel online well in advance to secure your preferred time slot.
- Follow the Urbs picta UNESCO trail with the PadovaCard combined ticket, which also covers public transport.
- Visit the Botanical Garden and admire 'Goethe's palm' in its 19th-century greenhouse.
- Stroll through the stalls of the Prato della Valle market and admire the 78 statues on Memmia island.
- Take a trip through the Euganean Hills among vineyards, the Abbey of Praglia and the villages of Arquà Petrarca and Este.
- Treat yourself to a day of relaxation at the Abano or Montegrotto spas with mud therapy.
- Walk along Cittadella's medieval walls, among the best preserved in Europe.
- Sip a spritz at Caffè Pedrocchi, open continuously since 1831.
To see
What to see in Province of Padova
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