Padua is one of the oldestand most important cities in the Veneto and home to one of the oldestuniversities in Europe, founded in 1221 and boasting Dante, Petrarch andGalileo amongst its alumni. Not long after the founding of the university,Saint Anthony arrived and the fact that he died and was buried here led toPadua becoming a major point of pilgrimage, the focal point being the Basilicadi Sant’Antonio. High point for the modern tourist however, is the ScrovegniChapel and the amazing Giotto frescoes. Padua has some beautiful squares and onthe Piazza Antenore, you will find the Caffe Pedrocchi, a legendary 19thcentury café and meeting place of intellectuals. Next, you will come to thePalazzo Del Bo, the main building of the University and then to the Palazzo delCapitaniato, whose tower houses the oldest astronomical clock in Italy, thecreation of Giovanni Dondi. End your tour at the Prato della Valle, the largestsquare in Italy, with its fine gardens and statues.
