On to Padova

Because I was unable to either catch a flight on the same plane as Bill when he left Siena or when flew to Padova (via Venice), I trained up from Roma to meet him in Padova. Since he was attending the conference on Saturday, I was left to my own and wandered about the city.

What I most love about Italian cities is that each one is so different from the next, and Padova is no exception. Sure, it shares some similarities with Venice, less than an hour away, both in its system of canals and in its architecture, but there are only traces of both in the Old City.

Here is a pretty little canal. Canals in Padova strike me as more artificial and more modern compared with Venezia.



The most artificial of all the canal systems is the Prato della Valle or Valley Lawn. It dates back to ancient Roman times, but its new configuration occurred during the 1700s. The elliptical canal basin is ringed 87 statues. It's quite a pretty site. On Saturday, it was surrounded by an open air market which by Sunday morning had disappeared.



On the south end is Santa Giustina. The Eastern influence is apparent in its architecture and reminded me of the cathedral in Venice.

On Sunday morning I took Bill down to see the Prato.

I am wearing one of my new silk blouses from my favorite shop in Roma, the Balloon Emporium.

You will recall that Bill's arrival into Padova was considerably delayed, the result of a bus breakdown. So, on Friday evening at 9:30 pm I took myself downstairs for dinner. And it was a good thing I did, too. You see, like Venice, Padova shuts down early. Anyway, I ordered this sea bass ravioli. I've never had such a pretty pasta meal. Good thing I like squid ink in my pasta!

Our good friend and one of Bill's University colleagues, Curt Rom, spent a semester in Padova. He told us about Aperol Spritzes. I couldn't very well go to Padova and not order one. Cin-cin, Curt!

Padova had two open markets on Saturday. This one was closer to our hotel. I would have bought a nectarine and was fingering the fruit when I was told not to touch the fruit. She lost the sale, but it didn't prevent me from taking pictures!

I forget now what this building was, but it closely resembles the architectural style you would find in Venice. Like Venice, Padova is located in the Veneto province.

One of the most pleasant surprises about Padova, something that clearly differentiates it from any other Italian town I have visited is the number of loggia that line the street. While it wasn't as hot as either Siena or Roma, it was still pretty warm and sunny. It was quite a welcomed relief to be shielded from the afternoon sun.

In addition, the loggia arches provided nice frames for my photographs.

These pictures were taken on what I would call the main pedestrian thoroughfare through town.

Off the beaten path, I found this lovely old street. There were many bicyclists, and I would have liked to have been among them.

Here is a shot of this loggia from across the street.

On Sunday morning we headed to this church, the Basilica of Saint Anthony. From the outside it resembled the nearby church of S. Giustina, but inside it was heavily gilded and detailed.

You can still find a lot of medieval structures, like this tower below, in Padova.

Below is the Town Hall. I joined Bill for a cocktail party here. More on the interior of this later.

I liked these little Egyptian lions. Children loved to climb up on them. The proprietor of the cafe liked to perch on them, too. He was quite bald and always very sunburned.

You can see I've lumped together the animals. The horse below is on exhibit in the Town Hall and was designed by Donatelli. It was huge!

Below is a picture of S. Giustina taken from the Prato.

And here is the inside of S. Giustina. Unlike St. Anthony, its interior is very restrained and reminds me of a Palladian church.

The highlight of the trip to Padova was getting to see the Scrovegni Chapel where Giotto painted the frescoes. His use of color is absolutely brilliant (as was the color itself).

Below is my favorite panel. Look closely at the saint's robe on the far right. The colors give it a quality of velvet. It's absolutely magnificent.

If you go to Padova (or Padua), be sure to check out this chapel. You won't be disappointed.

At the end of the trip we took the bus (next to the train station) to the Marco Polo airport in Venice. While waiting (and waiting) for our flight, I saw this rainbow. Off in the distance is Venice.