Padua
Padua (Padova) is a comune in the province of Padua in the region of Veneto. It is also the capital of the province of Padua.
Padua is situated on the far eastern side of the Pianura Padana just 10 km north of the Colli Euganei - the Euganaean hills sung by Petrarch, Foscolo, and Shelley, and 20 km west of the Venetian Lagoon.
Padua has a population of almost 214,000 (as of 2010) and is one of the cultural and economic centers in the north-east.
The old city centre has a dense network of arcaded streets opening into large piazzas and many bridges crossing the various branches of the Bacchiglione river, which once surrounded the ancient walls like a moat. It is connected by waterways to the Po river and the Venetian Lagoon.
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Places of Interest
Padua’ s Patron Saint is Sant’ Antonio. The saint is buried in the city’s Cathedral the Basilica di Sant’Antonio, attracting pilgrims in their thousands.
The Botanic Garden and the Anatomy Theater, were first of their kind in Europe.
Origins
According to a legend recorded by Virgil in the Aeneid, Padua was founded by Antenor, the counsellor of King Priam during the Trojan War. Following the fire of Troy, Antenor fled Greece and landed on the shores of the Adriatic where he founded Padua.
Since IV sec. a.C. Padua then known as Patavium was on of the most prosperous center of the Roman Empire.
During the invasion of the Longobards the city was completely destroyed in 602.
In the XII century Padua became a free comune and prospered under the rulings of the Carraresi (1338-1405) extending its political power over most of central Veneto.
In 1405 Padua is annexed to the lands under the dominion of the Republic of Venice.
After 4 century under Venetian supremacy, Padua was included in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and remained Austrian till 1866 when it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.
Art and Culture
The University of Padua founded in 1222 is amongst the oldest universities in Europe. Galileo Galilei lectured there.
Giotto is another important figure in the art and culture scene of the city. In the Scrovegni Chapel one can admire Giotto's masterpiece, a fresco cycle completed by the artist around 1305.
Donatello e Mantegna also worked in Padua during the 1400s contributing to making the city a highly respected center of the Arts.
Shakespeare set his play The Taming of the Shrew in Padua.
See Also
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