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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > Padova
Padova
Italy, officially the Italian Republic is a Southern European country. It comprises the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot, or due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula. Italy is called, Il Belpaese, Italian for beautiful country by its inhabitants, due to the beauty and variety of its landscapes and for having the world's largest artistic patrimony; the country is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Rome is its Capital city and incidentally its largest city as well.
The city of Padua is the economic and communications hub of the Veneto region in northern Italy. As the capital of Padova province, it stands on the Bacchiglione River. It is situated at a height of 12 meters above sea level with a population of 211,985, as of 2004 and has a population density of 2267 inhabitants per square kilometer. Its agricultural setting is the Pianura Padovana, the Paduan plain, edged by the Euganaean Hills. The city is picturesque, with a dense network of arcaded streets opening into large communal piazze, and many bridges crossing the various branches of the Bacchiglione, which once surrounded the ancient walls like a moat.
Padua has long been famous for its university, founded in 1222. Padua claims to be the oldest city in north Italy. Patavium, as Padua was known by the Romans, was inhabited by, Adriatic, Veneti, who thrived thanks to its excellent breed of horses and the wool of its sheep.
Padua has many beautiful sights like in the Piazza dei Signori is the beautiful loggia called the Gran Guardia, and close by is the Palazzo del Capitanio, the residence of the Venetian governors, with its great door. The most famous of the Paduan churches is the 13th-14th century Basilica dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, locally simply known as Il Santo. The bones of the Saint rest in a chapel richly ornamented with carved marbles.
As it is often regarded as among the most beautiful parts of Italy, it is one of the most visited places amongst the most die-hard travelers the world over.
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