Thursday, April 18, 2013 -- Doubting Thomas Meets Padova

We spent the day in a city that was new territory for each of us, that Mary Ellen had put on the itinerary, and about whose attraction Tom wondered.  It turned out to be time well spent in a city that stands on its own merits, though it’s evidently seen as a base for visits to Venice, which is less than an hour away.

Again, the historic town center and main tourist sites are easily tackled on foot.  We walked along the narrow Bacchiglione River to a nearby bridge in the shadow of La Specola, the city’s historic astronomical observatory. 

 A bit farther on, we were in Prato della Valle, Italy’s largest piazza, with a canal-encircled green island, bordered by almost 80 statues of notables who had some connection with the city.  We used audioguides we’d downloaded from the city’s tourism authority to help us appreciate this square, and many of the other sights we saw throughout the day.

The Basilica of San Antonio was nearby and we were impressed by the reverence with which this city holds its patron saint.  For Padova (Padua) there IS only one saint, and he is simply referred to as “Il Santo.”  The Basilica is a pilgrimage site, as the faithful come to visit the tomb and relics of Anthony.  His tongue, vocal chords, and jaw are prominently displayed in a dedicated chapel.  The chapel containing his tomb is adorned, not just with marble reliefs and monuments, but also with displays of touching letters of gratitude for answered prayers, photographs, and petitions to the patron saint of lost things.  I said a prayer for myself and for some of those dearest to me (You know who you are!) who could use the good Anthony’s assistance.

 

Dodging bicycles, we headed for the city’s main squares, a short distance from the Piazza del Santo.  The Palazzo del Bo, the seat of Padova’s ancient (second-oldest in Italy) university, fronts one of the main squares, and it was a lively scene today.   

 

Traditionally, as students approach graduation, they each appear in the square with a poster detailing events of their university life.  As they read from the poster before assembled family and friends, they drink a bottle of wine and are challenged to perform certain tasks by their assembled entourage.  As they complete their challenges, those gathered begin to chant, “Dottore, dottore, dottore,”(the Italian term for college graduate) and the graduate is crowned with a laurel wreath. We’d read about this ritual and were so excited to witness several groups of happy graduates, raucous friends, and proud parents and grandparents bringing the tradition to life.  The university where Copernicus studied and Galileo taught lives and breathes today and we could only imagine what it must be like to be a part of such an institution.

We enjoyed the huge markets in the Piazza della Frutta and Piazza delle Erbe, and the ancient astrological clock tower in the shadow of the massive Palazzo della Ragione, the medieval town hall of Padova.  The huge room that composes the upper storey is said to be the largest room unsupported by columns in Italy (built in 1420-Tom) and its size (think football field) is overwhelming.  It is topped by a soaring, barrel-shaped wooden roof and the walls are covered with several tiers of frescoes, which our audioguides helped us appreciate.  The room is also used for exhibitions and we were able to see an interesting one featuring prehistoric archeological finds of theVeneto region.

Using another downloaded audio tour, we visited the remains a Roman arena, the Church of the Eremitani, and walked along the Via Altinate to the oldest church in the city, St. Sophia, and then to the city gate at Riviera dei Ponti Romani.

After a stop at the cavernous duomo, we walked home along the river.  This was a lovely day, and Padova has made a believer out of Tom!