Discover Padua: Art, Science and Botanical Diversity

Padua is ideal for a trip in which university history, art, religious tradition, botany and everyday culture can be explored through specific places. In the Palazzo del Bo, the first permanently established anatomical theatre was built in 1594. In 1678, the first woman in the world to earn a university degree did so there. At the same time, Padova Urbs Picta has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since summer 2021.

Art, Museums and Religious History

The tomb of Saint Anthony is located in the Chapel of Saint Anthony. The Eremitani museum complex includes the Cappella degli Scrovegni and an archaeological museum with finds from the pre-Venetian, Roman and Egyptian periods. This creates a clear cultural connection between sacred art and different historical eras, without reducing Padua to a single theme.

The buildings themselves also tell the story of the city. MUSME is located in a 15th-century palazzo that housed the city’s first hospital. The oldest part of La Specola, the tower, was opened as an astronomical museum for the city in 1994. Both places broaden the perspective on Padua to include medicine, science and the development of historic institutions.

Palazzo della Ragione and Market Culture

The Palazzo della Ragione, whose construction dates back to 1218, is one of Padua’s landmarks. Its ground floor contains the Sotto Salone: a covered market with two corridors lined with historic shops and food businesses. This means the city can be viewed not only through museums and monuments, but also through a place where trade and food form part of the architectural setting.

Botany Between Research and Diversity

The Giardino della biodiversità comprises four greenhouses with around 1,300 plant species from tropical, subhumid, temperate and arid habitats. The Orto Botanico was conceived as a “Horto Medicinale” for studying and testing plants with natural therapeutic effects. This gives you a particularly vivid introduction to botanical research and to the question of how plants are viewed in different habitats.

A Historic Path and Practical Mobility

The so-called “Ultimo Cammino” follows the route travelled by Sant’Antonio in June 1231 from the Santuari Antoniani di Camposampiero to the Basilica del Santo in Padua via the Santuario Antoniano dell’Arcella. This connection links several religiously significant places without equating the historic path with a route that can currently be used.

The traffic situation is also important for the museum route in Padua: most museums are located within the restricted traffic zone, the ZTL. It is therefore recommended that you reach them by bus, tram or taxi. When choosing your hotel in Padua, you can take this information into account when planning your day and arrange the focus of your visits accordingly.

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To the higher-level travel overview: Padua.