Padua

There are many trains from Venice to Padua, some stop in each small station, and others express to Padua or even farther. Local trains take 20 or so minutes longer and stop a few times. It doesn’t matter which train you take as long as it stops in Padua. We decided to take a local train because it left at a convenient time and we were in no particular hurry. Since we weren’t sure how far it was from the train station to our hotel, we took a cab. It was a good choice, since lugging our bags across Padua would not have added much to the experience!

We met our tour group later in the afternoon in the breakfast room of the hotel in Padua. Karin Kibbey was our guide. The group seemed diverse. Many of the folks on this tour had been on other Rick Steves’ tours in the past. After we all introduced ourselves and shared some of our expectations, Karin explained some of the details about the tour. Karin asked how many wine drinkers we had in the group and suggested a “wine kitty” (or co-op) since alcohol is not covered by the tour. All the wine drinkers decided to “buy in” to the kitty – a decision that made group dinners a lot easier.

Our hotel, Al Fagiano, was full of eclectic unusual art. We weren’t meeting the rest of the tour group until later, we decided to explore a nearby market that was setup surrounding the nearby square Prato della Valle. Prato della Valle is the largest square in Italy but is actually shaped like an ellipse (or oval). The square itself is chock full of interesting statues and views of Saint Anthony’s. The market was loaded with shoes, clothing, household goods, and just about anything else you may have forgotten to pack (and all at reasonable prices).

“Andiamo” is Italian for “let’s go” and we were about to start our first excursion. Karin began to explain the history of Italy and then took us on a short walk back to Prato della Valle and through the main part of Padua to Piazza della Frutta. The town hall or court, Palazzo della Ragione, sits beweeen Piazza della Frutta and Piazza della Erbe. It was built between 1172 and 1219 and is said to have the largest roof span unsupported by columns in all of Europe . We had enough time to look around on our own and have a drink.

After that, we had dinner together in the La Cova restaurant. Although it might have been nice to dine outside, we sat inside because there was not enough outside seating for our entire group. Karin planned the menu to be classic Italian; lasagna, salad, a variety of pizzas (including horse – which most of us tried), and fresh fruit. On the way back to the hotel, Karin introduced us to a place called “Grom,” the “best” place for gelato in all of Italy. Gelato became a staple in our Italian diet.

Day 2 - Sunday – 16-September-2007

Promptly at 8:50, we met outside the hotel and had another “buddy check.” And then it was “andiamo” again. Karin told us that there was a big farmer’s market in another square and that an antique market had replaced the clothing and household market in Prato della Valle. While we walked through Padua to the Scrovegni Chapel, Karin told us a little about the history of the chapel, the family who built it, and about Giotto (the artist who painted the frescos). The chapel was built and frescoed in the early 1300s. At that time, the church allowed those “with the means” to atone for their sins (or in this case, the sins of their father) and “buy a spot in heaven from the church.” Apparently, the Scrovegni family had lots of sins to atone for, so they built the chapel and brought in an up-and-coming artist, Giotto, to do the frescos. Visits to Scrovegni Chapel are tightly controlled and available by reservation only. Restoring and preserving the frescoes in the chapel is serious business, so before you can enter the chapel, you must spend some time in a climate controlled staging room. The process lasts for exactly the same amount of time that the previous group visits the chapel. They showed us a film (in Italian with English subtitles) that provided a good background on the chapel, the family and the artist and then we are allowed to enter the chapel for exactly 15 minutes. Karin went in with us and gave us an overview of what we were seeing, pointing out the highlights of the stories that were depicted. For it’s time, Giotto’s work appears to capture pure emotion. We were not allowed to take pictures in the chapel, but you can view the frescoes at the official web site for the chapel.

We saw remnants of the old walls and one of the gates into the old city that is still standing. She took us to where the river or canal system was filled in (and is now a street), through the University area and to the Ghetto. A ghetto is an area where the Jews were required to live, not a slum or poverty-stricken area. Here’s an interesting fact: The first woman to graduate from college (in the world - ever) was Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia who graduated from University of Padua in 1678. We ended the tour at the Basilica of Saint Anthony and had the rest of the day on our own.

Inside the Basilica at the tomb of Saint Anthony, it’s truly compelling to see all of the photos and notes from those who have lost loved ones and come to pray to Saint Anthony. Saint Anthony, as you may know, is the saint of lost things. In the Treasury Chapel, we saw Saint Anthony’s tongue (which was found intact when they opened his crypt more than 30 years after his death). We relaxed a bit in the gardens and the cloisters. We explored a little more on our own and then found a restaurant for lunch near the university. Along the way, we met David and Bonnie and made plans to have dinner together. After lunch we checked out the antique market and then bought a phone card to call home. You can buy phone cards (and stamps) at a Tabacchi, under the sign of a big white “T”. Some of the European phone cards work better than others. Ask for “Europa” brand; it was recommended and always worked for us. Later, we had a casual dinner at Pago Pago with our new friends David and Bonnie.

Immediately after our visit to Scrovegni Chapel, our local guide Christine led us on a walking tour and oriented us to Padua. Christine told us more about the history of Padua and the significant historical figures. She told us about one member of the Scrovegni family who had “an important nose”. It seems Italians do not like to be rude, so they replace “big nose” with “important nose” when referring to others.