When we first arrived in Padua, it was early and quiet.  Things were pretty empty but peaceful, a few tourists like us meandering.  The main town square, Pratto dello Valle, is a surprise.  I didn’t do it justice at all with the photos I took.  First, it is enormous.  It is such a large space, nothing I took from ground level could show the scope of it.  It is very large, with a central fountain and green space that is surrounded by a large water feature, nearly a canal.  There are four bridges spaced around the circumference to cross over the water to the central green space, and the water is rimmed by large stone statues.  It was not what I expected in what I was thought would be a small little sleepy town.  Really, you should google it for a picture.

At arrival, I just took a few photos because there was very little activity, and we didn’t have meander time just yet.  In retrospect, I should have taken this time to take pictures here, without all the activity buzzing about.  Live and learn.

This stop in Padua was only going to be a few hours between our departure from Venice, and arrival in Florence later that day.  We made our way first to the usual focus of these old towns, the church.  We walked to Pizza del Santo, and came to the Basilica of Saint Anthony.

But then we just wandered around town a bit.  Stopped in a cafe for a coffee and a pastry, and wandered the streets looking for whatever caught our eye.  This door/window was actually attached to the basilica, but I was unsure if it was part of it or not.

And crossing one of the bridges in town I spotted this balcony over the water.  Ever see a building and want to go inside so very badly?  Just to see if it’s as beautiful on the inside as the outside?  Yeah.  Me too.

Then we found the local postman.

We made our way to what was truly the focus of activity in town, back to the Pratto dello Valle.  Now that it was later in the morning, we found much more activity.  A market was in full swing – so much fun!

Unfortunately, our visit to Padua was quite brief.  From arrival to departure was only a few hours, so that was all we had time to take in before loading back up and heading onward.

 

~ November 2012 trip ~