Padua

Padua is the "Nursury of fine arts," said William Shakesphere. Roman marbles, Medieval architecture, Renaissance frescoes and modern chic shops sow the city into a breathing museum, transcending all time.

Look for Giotto's frescoes in the Arena Chapel, as well as for Andrea Mantegna's frescoes left in the Eremitani Church, which partly survived the bombing of WWII.

These images convey the bustle and anticipation of the markets in Piazza dell'Erbe and Piazza dei Signori. Browse the veggies in the morning and meet your friends in the empty space in the evening.

Go there and see Donatello's monumental wooden horse in the Palazzo del Ragione, Padua's central municipal building.

Did you know? *The University of Padua*

*The first women to ever graduate from University, graduated in medicine from the University of Padua.

*The University was the second of all universities, established in 1222.

*Anatomical studies as we know them began here in the Anatomical Theater where students watched the professor dissect an actual cadaver.

comments by Alison Frantz

The University of Padua was not the second university in the world. The first was Bologna, Italia in 1214, the Second was Leuven, Belguim in 1214 and Padua was founded in 1222 from professors that were disenchanted with Bologna. A letter by Guglielmo Guascone to Pietro Spagnuolo recorded the advantages found in the citta di Padova. Some of the famous professors of the Universita di Padova were Galileo, the famously persecuted astronomer, Nicolo Copernico (Copernicus), a student of Galileo in astronomy, Sir William Harvey (1678-1657), a student at the University and an English physician who discovered the circulatory system, Andrea Vesalio (1514-1564) the Father of Anatomy and a student of Leonardo da Vinci Gabriele Fallopia (1532-1562) an anatomist, who discoverd the fallopian tubes, Giovanni Giorgio Wirsung, who in 1642 discoveed the pancreatic duct of Wirsung, etc.

The Universita di Padova was the first medical school to have a clinical medical ward, based on the unholy belief (at the time) that disease was caused by something physical or organic in nature and not caused by your sins or by bad humeurs.

Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684) was the first woman to graduate from a Universiy. Her major was in philosophy, and she graduated in 1678.

The anatomy theater, Aula Morgagni, if I remember correctly, built in 1594 by Gerolamo Fabrizio d'Acquapendente, is interesting to see. It is an oval shape that gives a good view of cadaver dissection, a required course for medical students in Padova (unlike many other medical schools). The first Teatro Anotomico, in the world, was built in Padua.

Il Santo, Saint Anthony of Padua (born in 1194, died June 13, 1231 at 36 years of age) the Cathedral of Santo Antonio (St. Anthony) is a nice Cathedral to visit, built in 1264, 32 years after the decree of Sainthood by Pope Gregory IX at the Cathedrale of Spoleto, on May 30, 1232. Saint Anthony is the patron Saint of Padova. The Padovani have a Saint's day that is an official government holiday, but is not the Saint Anthony's Saints Day. Nevertheless, the Padovani ALSO celebrate the Saint's day of Santo Antonio as their true Saint's day.

Having lived in Padua for over 6 years, it is impossible to know the city without knowing Il Santo. Therefore a few words from Fernando da Lisbona, Il Santo, S. Antonio di Padova

Spine sono le richezze, che pungono e fanno uscire sangue; bestie feroci sono i perfidi usurai, che rapinano e divorano... Questo mondo, pieno d'amarezza, e colmo di ricchezze, di delizie; ampia e la via che mena alla dannazione. Ampia non per i poveri di Cristo, che entrano per la porta stretta, ma per gli usurai che di tutto il mondo si sono gia impadroniti con mani rapaci... Razza maledetta, sono crescuiti forti e innumerevoli sulla terra, hanno denti da leone. L'usuraio non rispetta ne il Signore, ne gli uomini ha i denti sempre in moto, intento a rapinare, maciullare e inghiottire i beni dei poveri, dei pupilli, dei vedove... E guarda che mani osano fare elemosina, mani grondanti del sangue dei poveri! Vi sono usurai che esercitano la loro professione di nascosto; altri, apertamente, ma non in grande stile, onde sembrare misericordiosi; altri, infine, perfidi, disperati, lo sono apertissimamente, e fanno il loro mestiere alla luce del sole... Fernando da Lisbona, S. Antonio di Padova

A famous Cafe to visit is that of Pedrocchi, Il Cafe Pedrocchi, in the center of town, in Via Oberdan and the Piazza Pedrocchi. This present Cafe was inaugurated on June 9, 1831 at the celebration of the 600th Aniversary of the death of Saint Anthony of Padua. It was designed by Giuseppe Jappelli. In Padua in 1683 they already started to drink coffee, with 206 cafe's being present in 1756. Franceso Pedrochi, in 1760, started the present cafe, and his son Antinio Pedrochi, in 1813 started the acquisitions needed to expand the cafe to "senza precedenti". Stendal in 1815, celebrated "l'excellent restaurateur Pedrocchi, le meilleur d'Italie et presque egal a ceux de Paris". Stop in and relax, have a coffe and plan your trip to the Piazza del Bo' (Universita degli Studi de Padova), Il Salone, with the large horse of wood (Grande Cavallo de Legno, 1466), Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza della Frutta and to the Piazza dei Signori (the large Clock- il Torre dell'Orologio, Loggia della Gran Guardia and the Chiesa di S. Clemente) in the center of Padua.

Outside on the via Oberdan look for the stones (lapidi) with the names of the dead of the Great War, (by the Municipio) and the lapidi of the Fallen in 1940-45 (under the portico). We forget that this was a region that World War I occured, and many students from the Universita degli Studi di Padova went North to fight the war against the Austrians. Ernest Hemmingway was in this area, wrote about the area and visited the Veneto many times later in his life.

Inside the Piazza del Bo' there is the old court, that have some interesting inscriptions and stemma (crests). Inside the building are some frescos near the office of the Rector (in the anticamera del Rettore and the studi of the Rettore), that are of interest to those few (students and others) that have entered into these administrative offices of the University. Try to see the sala delle Commissioni, the anticamera del Senato Accademico, the sala del Senato Accademico, the Basilica, the Archivio antico, and the many other rooms (Sala de pranzo, lettura, della facolta di Scienze, saletta del caminetti etc. A must to see is the Cattedra di Galileo where Galileo was to have taught. Also, The Aula Magna, the Great Hall, where the students orally present their thesis, before a banc of professors, for graduation from the University. This is a ceremony that if you have every done it or had friends that have presented their thesis, is a memorable experience that you never forget. The walls of the Aula Magna are lined with Crests from some of the students and professors that have taught at this illustrious University.

Gary S. Elliott, M.D. numerso di matricola 150754 della Universita Degli Studi de Padova 1978-1984 Laureato dalla Universie de Laval, P.Q. Canada

Sorry to contradict but the Leuven University was founded in 1425. That restores the paduan University in second position I guess...

Thank you to Dr Elliott. As a fellow MD I was most interested in the history of the University of Padua. A minor point is that I believe that Galileo was a student of Copernicus rather than the other way round. Did you know that Wirsung was assassinated over a quarrel as to who discovered the pancreatic duct that bears his name.

Regards, Allan Lester.

Thank you to Dr Elliott. As a fellow MD I was most interested in the history of the University of Padua. A minor point is that I believe that Galileo was a student of Copernicus rather than the other way round. Did you know that Wirsung was assassinated over a quarrel as to who discovered the pancreatic duct that bears his name.

Regards, Allan Lester.

After reading previous comments about Padua, I noticed that Padua's most important art reference remains unmentioned. It is the Capella Degli Scrovegni, with Giotto's frescoes. It is a must that no one can leave aside when visiting Padua. Is is a bit dificult to visit, since it demands a previous reservation and payment at a Post Office branch, but it is worth the effort.

If you'd like to see my photographs of padova (from the POV of a meno-raffinata study abroad student) go to http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation.tcl?presentation_id=265986

tanti auguri...

-emily

in fact, i see that i can add some photos, here they are

and another