Padua – 60 km
At the centre of the Venetian plain, between the lagoon, the hills and the foothills of the Alps, lies the province of Padua, a land rich in art, culture, flavours and traditions.
Visiting the province of Padua means discovering a land surprisingly rich in history, vitality and ingenuity, characterised by a great variety of places to see, flavours to taste and people to meet. A land where industrious people have always known how to renew historical and cultural traditions.
Padua and Prato della Valle
Prato della Valle, one of the symbols of Padua, is a large elliptical square which, as well as being the largest square in Padua, is one of the largest in Europe (88620 square meters).
The square is actually a large monumental space characterised by a central green island, called Isola Memmia, in honour of the “Podestà” who commissioned the work, surrounded by a canal adorned with a double basement of statues of famous people from the past.
Padua and the Basilica of St Anthony
The Basilica of St. Anthony, known as ‘The Saint‘, is the most important religious centre of the city, and the destination of thousands of pilgrims who invade the city every year for the famous procession.
The complex structure of the vast building presents a characteristic fusion of styles and was immediately the object of attention and care, also on the part of the City of Padua, which called in the most talented artists to decorate it, starting with Giotto, who apparently worked for the Chapter of Friars in the cloister of the same name.