Padua, << PAD yoo uh >> (pop. 208,732), stands on the Bacchiglione River, 22 miles (35 kilometers) southwest of Venice. The city’s name in Italian is Padova. It is the oldest city in northern Italy, and its history is rich in architecture, art, and famous people. Many of Padua’s narrow, crooked streets are lined with arcades, and several high Roman bridges cross the various arms of the river. The city has many medieval palaces and churches. The Basilica of St. Anthony is a church that dates from the 1200’s.
Padua’s art treasures include works by such well-known masters as Giotto, Donatello, and Fra Filippo Lippi. The Roman historian Livy was born in Padua, and at one time Dante lived there. Galileo lectured for 18 years in Padua’s university, which was founded in 1222 by Emperor Frederick II. A celebrated botanical garden, the oldest in Europe, is connected with the university.
Today Padua manufactures automobile parts, refrigerators, and other machinery. It has a prosperous trade in fruit, grain, wine, and cattle.
See also Scrovegni Chapel.
