Welcome to Padua, Italy Part II

Ocotber 15

We started our day with a walk over the bridge near our hotel and past the Astronomical Tower again to the Cathedral of Padua which was simple in many ways but impressive for both its size and the fact that they have incorporated in Modern art with the traditional medieval elements. I loved the lectern which was an exquisitely carved marble piece of a woman whose hair is like tree branches that carry over to the lectern stand. The ornate older alter was also an exquisite work of art.

We went next do to the Cathedral’s Baptistery which is a real treasure. There are frescos on every imaginable space and the ceiling design was breathtaking.

We then visited the Palazzo della Regione which was once used for city and state meetings. The columned balcony over looks the Piazza which holds each week a truly amazing food market and on the other side of the building is a clothing and general merchandise market. The food vendors were so inviting with all the colors and scents. I particularly like the rice vendor who sold every kind of rice mixture imaginable in a display that was as artistic as it was practical.

Inside the Palazzo on the second floor is the enormous meeting room which has frescos on all the walls and a ceiling that reminded me of the hull of a boat. The room was empty of future and such but there was a gigantic wooden horse at one end of the hall. The horse it turns out was used in a festival several centuries ago when the town’s people decided to put on a reenactment of the Trojan War.

Below the hall were additional food vendors that permanently conduct business there all year round. There were a lot of butchers and cheese vendors.

We took a long walk up town to visit a chapel which we were told by a Tennessee couple we met just yesterday and who told us it was truly worth visiting. The church Degli Eremitani is next to the Chapel and I am glad we had the opportunity to visit it. It had the most interesting block patterned wooden ceiling and colorful striped walls. It is nice when you open church doors, after having seen so many churches in one week and find something that is in contrast to much of what you have been viewing. When they all have a lot of the same basic design elements it begins to become hard to remember which church was which. This one stands out.

The Cappella Scrovegni is truly spectacular and worth a visit to Padua just to see it. It was built by Enrico Scrovegni in 1300 as a way to help his father get into heaven as he feared due, to his father bad behavior; he was in danger of not getting there. The chapel is small and hidden by a piece of the Ancient Roman wall remnants and part of a public garden. It is beautiful adorned with many frescos of varying sizes and depicting the life of Christ, Saint John and others. There is also a full wall dedicated to those who are getting into heaven and those who have been sent to hell. It’s a very graphic work and Enrico clearly feared his father’s and I think very much his own fate if he did not redeem his family’s name.

Next to the Chapel is a new museum which boasts a tremendous collection of liturgical art. The collection is in fact very impressive and also a little overwhelming because of the sheer volume of work that is on display. Melody and I did shorten our visit there simply because the works were all started to blend together in our minds and it is always best to enjoy the quality of what you are seeing and not the quantity.

We took some time to do some window shopping during the siesta time and even came across the Teatro Verdi which is a lovely circular building that houses the city’s main opera theater. There was also time for a small snack and I had something I had seen the night before which is basically ham and cheese in fried dough.

I had wanted to see the Botanical Gardens that is maintained by the University and was the first University Botanical Gardens in the world. We saw lots of lovely flowers, trees and plants and even came across one that was completely foreign to both Melody and me. It is a Passiflora Quadrangles or something along those lines. It was really so beautiful and right next door was the Cacti garden and housed more varieties of Cacti than I’d ever seen before.

We eventually made it back to Saint Anthony’s for one last visit which again was extremely moving. The corpse of Saint Anthony is in the Basilica and relics have been taken and placed in an elaborate display in a very ornate chapel. It is moving to see all those who have, in some case, come a very long way as a pilgrimage to visit the place where his remains rest. There are also many pictures of loved ones around his alter and coffin placed by I imagine grieving people and those in need of a miracle.

I also took some time to sit and enjoy the courtyards again. I really am in awe of that 200 year old tree.

We passed, several times, some adorable and lovely bridges often just revealing the beautiful architecture of the river view homes.

It was also interesting to see how many buildings here in Padua have a resemblance to those arch was that were so common in Bologna. They are on a much smaller scale here but clearly architects in Padua were inspired by those in Bologna.

Padua is a city that has a great deal of character and you feel, very quickly, that you are in a very special place that will forever live in your memory for it’s gracious hospitality, it’s pastel colored homes, charming small bridges, massive and elegant churches, winding streets, great food and a general sense of contentment.

We walked some more just taking in as much as possible of this lovely town before we leave tomorrow. Dinner was at a restaurant recommend highly by our Hotel Reception Manager, Stefan. Del Capo was a small and unassuming restaurant near the Cathedral of Padua and although I lead us on a very roundabout way to get there dinner was lovely and the food was extremely fresh.
It was back to the hotel and off to bed after a 12 hour day of non-stop touring.