Padua is a town of 208,202 inhabitants in the province of Padua, in Veneto, Italy. It is the capital of its province.
The municipality covers 92.85 km², with a density of 2,242 inhabitants per km².
The nearest airport is Treviso (TSF), about 36 km away as the crow flies.
Why visit
Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel. Discover Veneto
Things to see in Padua
City of Giotto and St Anthony
Padua is one of the oldest cities in northern Italy and home to a university founded in 1222, where Galileo taught. Its fourteenth century fresco cycles, led by Giotto's, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What to see
The Scrovegni Chapel holds Giotto's frescoes, a turning point in the history of painting (book ahead, visits are timed). The Basilica of St Anthony, with its domes and Donatello's bronzes, is one of the great pilgrimage churches in the world. Prato della Valle is one of Europe's largest squares, ringed by statues and a canal. Under the arcades, the Palazzo della Ragione divides Piazza delle Erbe from Piazza della Frutta, lively with markets every morning. The Botanical Garden of 1545 is the oldest university garden still in its original place, and Palazzo Bo hosts the historic anatomical theatre.
Food
Bigoli pasta, risotto, Padovana hen, and the evening spritz in the squares, a ritual born in this area.
Around Padua
The spa towns of Abano Terme, the Euganean Hills with Arquà Petrarca and Este, the Venetian villas along the Brenta river and Venice 30 minutes by train. Venice Marco Polo and Treviso airports are within an hour.
Padua on the map
Nearby towns
Where to stay in and around Padua
Tours and activities nearby
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