October 7, 2022

October 7, 2022

We set out to explore Padua, Italy today. The tram line runs right past our hotel down the center of the historic center, so we bought a day tram pass. We took it to the southern end to first visit the Basilica di Sant’Antonio. This pilgrimage church contains the tomb of St Anthony of Padua, who died in 1231 and was quickly canonized. The tomb is elaborate and surrounded by a number of extraordinary marble sculptures detailing the miracles he performed during his life. He is the patron saint of lost things.

We next visited the Relic Chapel that contains a large variety of silver urns that each contain some part of the body of St Anthony. The most precious is supposed to be his tongue. Aimee, who missed her calling as a doctor, had the most fascination with this room.

The Basilica complex is very large with several adjoining cloisters. One has an uninteresting museum. We also visited the Scuola del Santo, a nicely decorated fraternity society building. More interesting was the next-door Oratory of St George. This small prayer hall is completely covered on the interior with brightly painted 14th century frescoes on the life of several saints including St George, the dragon-slayer.

We took the tram north a few stops to the historic building of the University of Padua. This is the 800th anniversary of its founding in 1222. We bought tickets for the English tour. It starts in the courtyard of the neoclassical Palazzo Bo. Bo is short for Bovis, named after the butcher shop that was nearby.

The university uniquely was set up to be independent and run by the students who paid the salary of the teachers. The most striking feature of this building is the huge number of heraldic ‘coat of arms’ that cover most every surface. Each one represents the noble pedigree of a student.

Our next stop is the Great Hall where lectures were given. Galileo was the most distinguished teacher. His long tenure at the university often awards Padua the birthplace of the scientific method. We visited another two smaller halls used for medical and legal lectures. All these rooms are still in use. They look very regal for student classrooms.

We also visited the oldest anatomical theater still in existence. This wooden structure was used by students to watch medical dissections. It was the room I was most interested in. Unfortunately, we saw it from the viewpoint of the cadaver looking up, instead of down from the eyes of the students. Padua was a leader in anatomical research, so it is not surprising that some body parts (e.g. Fallopian tubes and Eustachian tubes) are named after Italian scientists.

After the tour we walked through the nearby vegetable market on Piazza dell Erbe and through the meat market in Palazzo della Ragione. We need a break so we sat at an outdoor cafe and had the local beverage of choice, Spritz Aperol. It is Prosecco mixed with Aperol, some kind of bright orange bitter aperitif. We decided it must be some kind of acquired taste.

We then hopped back on the Tram taking it south to the Botanical Gardens of the University. It is a World Heritage Site because of its distinction as the world’s oldest academic botanical garden. Established in 1545, it has a unique square within a circular wall design. There are a wide variety of small plants being cultivated including cacti. My favorite was the several varieties of lily pads. It was a little boring but a nice respite from the many churches and palaces on our Italian itinerary.

We walked to the nearby square of Prato della Valle to catch the tram but got waylaid by its beauty. It is the largest piazza in Italy and has a hundred large statues lining a circular canal.

We wanted to get a late lunch or early dinner, but that is proving problematic in non-touristy Italy. Here most restaurants close around 2pm and don't open again until 7pm. We go back to the hotel, eat some snacks, and take a nap. We head back downtown to a cafe in a neoclassical loggia. We have wine and snacks waiting for the kitchen to reopen. In the interim we also order some tasty Italian bar appetizers called ‘cicchetto’. The main course we eventually order is not quite what we expected. Aimee is not happy. It didn't help we keep having communication problems. e.g. Cecilia wine is pronounced Chechilia!