1

B.U.E.N. V.I.A.J.E.

INDEX:

Introduction: Padua for the young…… pag: 2

Useful Information ……………………… pag: 3

How to get to Padua…….. .…………… pag: 5

Getting around ………………………. pag: 7

Where to sleep …………………………. pag: 8

Eating out in Padua ………………..… pag: 9

Going out in Padua ……..……….…... pag: 11

Markets ………………………….….… pag: 13

Events and Fairs...……………….…….. pag: 14

What to visit in Padua ….……………… pag: 15

Around and about Padua …………..… pag: 18

Other destinations easy to reach .……. pag: 21

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INTRODUCTION

Padua is a university city in which every year the number the young Italians

and Europeans, who choose this city for exchange programs, to study in or simply to take holidays avoiding the tourist sites visited by the masses,

increases. This is a concise guide which illustrates the various opportunities that a young

person can have whilst staying in Padua for study or work. It proposes organi-zational solutions at low cost so that even young people with limited economic

possibilities can live an experience abroad and share with their peers various commitments and moments of fun.

B.u.e.n. V.i.a.j.e. is an acronym in Spanish that embodies the spirit of this work: „Buscando Una Europa Para Nosostros: Viajes, Informaciones Amistad

para los Jòvenes Europeos‟ which means Finding a Europe for us: trips, infor-mation on friendship for young Europeans.

SHORT STORY OF THE CITY

An antic legend tells that the city was founded by

Antenore, a Homeric hero, escaping from Troy in the X11 century B.C.

Around 50 B.C it acquired the status of a Roman muni-cipality. The most important Roman constructions are

the theatre and amphitheatre inside which today is si-tuated the Scovegni Chapel.

After a long decline, which lasted for the whole of the high medieval ages, the revival was slow and difficult.

Finally, when Padua became a free council it began to re-gain its supremacy. Around 1200, Padua re-found its economic richness and lived a period of great

cultural fever: the first medieval wall was constructed; various buildings were constructed like the Basilica of San Antonio and the

„Palazzo della Ragione‟, and a prestigious university was founded.

The artistic scene was dominated by Giotto who

painted the frescos of the Scrovegni Chapel. The year 1405 marks a lull because a people‟s revolt

gave over the city into the hands of the Republic of Venice. However, Padua was able to maintain its su-

premacy in the field of art thanks to Andrea Mantegna and Donatello. The 5th century for the Venetian city is a century of great splendor. Padua erected a

new fortification. Towards the end of the century the University lived a time il-luminated by the genius Galileo Galilei and the famous Anatomical Theatre was

built. The seven hundreds saw the systemization of the present Prato della Valle.

The surrender of Venice, in 1796, following the first Napoleonic wars in Italy; lead Padua to the French domination and shortly after Austrian. This ruling

ended in 1866 with the annexation of the Kingdom of Italy. INDICE

3

USEFUL INFORMATION DURING YOUR STAY:

EMERGENCIES

POLICE- „QUESTURA‟

Piazzetta Palatucci, 5 (on the corner of Riviera Ruzzante) - 35123 Padova Telephone 049 833111

site www.poliziadistato.it („Questura‟ Padova)

-Street Police: Via Fabrici d'Acquapendente 23

35100 (PADOVA - PD) telefono: 0498044411

- Postal Police:

Largo Europa 20 35100 (PADOVA - PD)

telefono: 049656456

- Police Station “Arcella”:

via Jacopo D'avanzo 17 35132 (PADOVA - PD)

telefono: 049/8644248

-Town Police (Vigili Urbani -) via Gozzi, 32 - Padova (centrale operativa)

emergenze 049 8205100 informazioni e segnalazioni 049 8205101 centralino telefonico 24 ore su 24

sito www.padovanet.it

-CARABINEER POLICE Prato della Valle, 88 - Padova

telefono 049 8521

sito www.carabinieri.it

-FIRE via S. Fidenzio, 3 - 35100 Padova

telefono 049 7921711 sito www.vigilfuoco.it

-HOSPITAL AND FIRST AID

via Giustiniani, 2 - 35128 Padova telefono 049 8211111

sito www.sanita.padova.it

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-ITALIAN RED CROSS

via Croce Rossa, 130 - 35129 Padova telefono 049 8077655

sito www.cri.it/

RADIO TAXI

Centralino: 049.651333 Fax: 049.760369

ISTITUTIONS PADUA COUNCIL

Via del Municipio, 1, 35122 Padova, Italy

Tel. 0498205272 http://www.padovanet.it/

PROVINCE OF PADUA

piazza Antenore, 3 - 35121 Padova

telefono 049 8201111 - fax 049 8201235 sito www.provincia.padova.it

PADUA PREFECTURE

piazza Antenore, 3 - 35121 Padova telefono 049 833511 - fax. 049 833550

sito www.prefettura.padova.it

ITALIAN POST OFFICE corso Garibaldi, 25 - Padova

centralino 049 8772111 sito www.poste.it

TRAVEL AGENCY :

- CTS:

35121 Padova (PD) 2, v. del Portello

tel: 049 8070972

- PATAVIUM VIAGGI: 35137 Padova (PD)

5, v. Petrarca tel: 049 8754811 Agency specializing in business ,Trips, congresses, study

fax: 049 8754130 holidays, tourism and cruises, ship and airplane tickets.

- ANTONIANA VIAGGI: 35121 Padova (PD)

34, v. Porciglia tel: 049 8760233

fax: 049 8763410 INDICE

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HOW TO GET TO PADOVA

Padua is in the centre of Veneto, between Vicenza, Treviso, Venice e Rovigo.

Car

Arriving from the West, from A4 Milan-Venice, take the exit Padova Ov-est (Padua West). From there it is possible to get to the centre in a mat-

ter of minutes taking the bypass in direction Padua. For extra information on the traffic situation there is the website of the Motorway Brescia-

Padua: www.autobspd.it.

Arriving from the East, from the A4 it is possible to take the exit Padova

Est (Padua East) and follow the indications for Padua city centre. For ex-tra information on the traffic situation there is the website of the Motor-

way Venice-Padua: www.autovepd.it.

Arriving from the South, the A13 Bologna-Padua becomes the south by-pass which will take you quickly in the direction of various areas of the

city. It is possible to plan your trip on the Motorway association‟s web-site: www.autostrade.it.

Train

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Padua is easily accessible also in train. From:

Milan or from Florence: in 2 hours Rome or from Turin: in 4 hours

From Padua the following locations are easily accessible:

Venice and Vicenza: in about half an hour Verona and Treviso: in an hour

The timetables are available from the Trenitalia‟s site: www.trenitalia.it.

Airplane

It is possible to get to Padua from APT Venice‟s Marco Polo–Tessèra (www.veniceairport.it) and from APT S. Angelo of Treviso

(www.trevisoairport.it):

For who can make a direct connection with the SITA buses that arrive at Padua station; from Treviso they run every 30 minutes on the weekdays,

and every hour on Sundays. From Venice-Tessèra about every 30 mi-nutes on weekdays and every hour on Saturdays and Sundays.

The running timetables are available online (from the website www.sitabus.it). The journeys last a little more than an hour and the

tickets are sold directly in the airport.

Using the collective Air taxi service belonging to the association of Pado-van taxi drivers(www.airservicepadova.it) which enables you to arrive di-

rectly at your final destination. To reach Padua from the airport Valerio Catullo Verona

(www.aeroportoverona.it),train connections can be made (timetables on the website www.trenitalia.ithttp://www.trenitalia.it/). Or the taxi service can

be used, Verona - Padua: € 160

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GETTING AROUND AND ABOUT IN PADUA AND THE

OUTSKIRTS

Bus Tram

APS Mobility – Azienda Padova Servizi (Padova Services Company)

Taxi:

CO.RA.PA - Cooperativa RadioTaxi Padova has 150 cars available all connected

to a central line and kitted with satellite systems. This service can be booked 24 hours a day by calling the automated system on 049.651333.

Fax:049.8707847 E-mail: info@taxipadova.it

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WHERE TO SLEEP IN PADUA

HOSTELS, ROOMS, B&B, LOW COST HOTELS

Hostels Rooms

“Città di Padova” Ca‟ Marcello Via Aleardo Aleardi 30 Via XXVIII Aprile, 54

35122 Padova – Italy Monselice (PD) - Italy Tel. e fax +39.049.8752219 tel. 0429 767098

►Rooms from 4-6 pax € 19,00 ►Double room € 60,00

B&B “Casa a Colori” B&B “Al Santo” Via Del Commissario 42 via Sanmicheli, 13

35124 Padova, Italy 35020 Padova, Italy Tel. +39 049 680332 Tel.+ 39 049 875 0267

Fax +39 049 8826053

► Double room € 57,00 ► Double room € 35,00

Hotel Piccolo Vienna * Hotel Junior * Via Beato Pellegrino ,133 Via Faggin, 2

35137 - PADOVA (PD) 35135 (PADOVA) - Italia

Tel.: +39 049 8716331 Tel. +39 049 611756 Fax: +39 049 8716331

INDICE

9

EATING OUT IN PADUA

Padua has a gastronomic tradition that expresses itself with the use of fresh

locally found products that are used in many of typical and traditional dishes. We are talking about a cuisine that is really linked to its territory, that knows

how to preserve the antic flavors whilst revisiting them according to modern gastronomic sensibilities. The Padouan table has humble farming origins, often

using farm yard animals and products from the allotment without spices or ex-otic ingredients. It is a synthesis of the rich gastronomy from the nearby Ve-

nice and the Padouan cuisine, more poor and simple. The recipes therefore vary from fish dishes to the flavor of roasted beef.

Not forgetting, that in the Berici and Euganean Hills there is a production of

Parma Ham. It is used to flavor and characterize sauces, roasts, vegetables and antipasti. Everything is seasoned and flavored with, optimal grapes for ex-

cellent wines, olives for the unique flavor of olive oil, a great variety of fruits and vegetables and every herb in season and woodland fruits, all of which

make the bases for extremely tasty and flavored dishes.

TYPICAL PLATES

Risi e bisi

"Risi e Bisi" is a traditional Venetian dish. It is a dish with a base of rice and peas. It is particularly indicated for the

summertime as apart from using fresh and in season peas,

the pods are used to obtain a stock for cooking the rice in.

Risotto with bruscandoli (Risotto with wild hop seeds) Risotto with 'bruscandoli' is a modern revision of a typically

traditional dish from Veneto, which uses a herb that grows spontaneously as its main ingredient. Bruscandoli‟, in fact, are

wild hop seeds which can be harvested from spring to the be-ginning of the summer. „Buscandoli‟ are an excellent vegetable

used in the Padouan cuisine; ideal for firsts but also for the preparation of tasty omelets.

Zaletti

Zaletti are biscuits typical from the Veneto area and are made from corn flour. „Zaletti‟ means „gialletti‟ (gaillo-yellow)

in dialect, thanks to the yellow polenta that gives it this par-ticular color. It is ideal taken with tea or for breakfast.

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PIZZA HOUSES

The most well known Pizza Houses in the centre of Padua are as follows:

PIZZA & SNACK Via Zabarella, 27 – tel 049 8364445 PIZZA AL CUBO Via Tito Livio, 2, o Piazza dei Signori

PIZZERIA EREMITANI Via Porciglia, 29 - tel 049.8754663

SANDWICH BARS

BIRROTECA PANINOTECA DA MARIO Via Breda, 3 tel 049 8756283 BAR PANINOTECA AL VESCOVADO Via Vescovado, 12 tel 0498782160

ERRECI PANINOTECA Via Barbarigo tel 049 660044 BAR PANINOTECA LIVIANO Pzza Capitaniato, 8 tel 049 8750862

BAR PANINOTECA INSOMNIA Via Roma. 162 tel 049 9915077 MC DONALD‟S Corso del Popolo tel 049 654 930

o PUBS / BARS

o BIRRERIA ST. JONH‟S PUB Via Cristoforo Moro, 2 BIRRERIA GALLOWAY Via Bembo, 149 tel 049 691422

BIRRERIA 7TESTE Via C. Battisti, 44 tel 049 664753 CROCODILE PUB AUSRALIAN DA GIAMPY Via del Santo 93 tel 049 8760481

ICE-CREAM PARLOURS

GELATERIA NATHALIE S.A.S Piazzale Mazzini, 61 tel 049 650446

GELATERIA BAR STRESS Prato della Valle, 23 tel 049 8758178 GELATERIA GROM Piazza dei Signori, 33 tel 0495782365

INDICE

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GOING OUT IN PADUA

The spritz for Padua has become an icon of the University City, of the young,

of those without worries and the joy of sharing each other‟s company. The students have for a long time adopted this aperitif, becoming in some

bars, a proper high class cocktail, making it a reason for meeting up.

UNIVERSITY WEDNESDAY In Padua the University Wednesday is an appointment not to be for most of

the students. The meeting place is Piazza delle Erbe, which fills up quickly with people after dinner time. During the beautiful spring days the number can

reach literally hundreds of young people! There are all sorts of people, scat-tered between the squares and the alleys of the Ghetto, each faithful to their

own bar, or even to their own bar person. In recent years, in the months of Ju-

ly to September the meeting place has moved to Via Colombo.

‘RUN FOR PADUA ‟

Many Padouans love to run. Padua has become a city ideal and seemingly made on purpose for those that love to run. It is enough just to think about

the requalification of river banks, the cycle paths and many other dedicated in-itiatives (first of all the Marathon and „Stracittadine‟).

From November 2010 a new initiative was experimented that from the begin-

ning was an enormous success. „Run for Padua ‟: every Thursday starting at 20:30, you can run a citizen run, the departure point and the run varies each

time. (See the website www.corriperpadova.it).

Concerts & Theatres

Teatro Verdi

Via del livello (Padova) Tel. 0498777011

Granteatro PalaGeox Corso Australia 55 - Area Ex Foro Boario, 35136 Padova, Italy

info@granteatrogeox.com - Telefono 049 8078685 PalaFabris (ex Palasport san Lazzaro)

Via S. Marco, 53 - Quartiere 3 Est - 35129 Padova

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Padua Sports centres

e-mail sport.impianti@comune.padova.it

Stadium Euganeo Via N. Rocco, 6 Padova

Tel. +39 049 8723555

Centro Universitario sportivo – Cus

Via J. Corrado, 4 Tel. 0498076766

Pala Alì (ex Palazzetto dello sport Arcella) Pzza Azzurri d‟Italia

Tel.049 8659500,)

Pattinodromo comunale

Via F. G. D'Acquapendente, 1 Padova

Tel. 335 6315207

Complesso natatorio Paltana

(Piscina e campi da tennis)

Via Decorati al Valor Civile, 2 - Padovanuoto Srl - telefono 049 681300,

Discos

Disco „Banale‟ Padova Via Bronzetti 8 – Padova

Banale Estivo – Via dell‟Ippodromo 3 – Ponte di Brenta (Padova)

Tel: 392.4729417 E-mail: info@banale.org

Sito web: www.banale.org o www.myspace.com/banale

Disco „Block‟ Padova Via Volta, 1 – Limena (Padova)

Tel: 333 9060434 333 9060434 E-mail: info@block.it

Sito internet: www.block.it

Disco „Extra Extra‟ Padova

Via Ciamician 5 – Padova Tel: 049.620044

Sito web: www.myspace.com/extraextrapadova

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DAILY AND WEEKLY MARKETS

.

Prato della Valle

WHEN:

- Markets offering non food,

plant and flower markets are Saturdays with a winter time-

table of 8:00 to 19:00 and a summer timetable of 8:00

to 20:00 - Fruit and vegetable markets

are Mondays from 7:30 to 13:30, Saturdays from 7:30 to 20:00

Piazza delle Erbe e piazza dei Frutti

The markets include food stalls, non food stalls,

clothes and do-it-yourself. WHEN: from Monday to

Saturday

Piazza dei Signori Wednesday and Saturday

flower and plant producer is available to sell his products

directly. WHEN: from Tuesday to Fri-

day from 8:00 to 14:00, Saturday from 8:00 to

20:00; the sellers are differ-ent according to the day of

the week.

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EVENTS AND TRADE FAIRS IN PADUA

La Fiera Campionaria: International Trade Fair May

Smau Business: Innovation becomes easy

May

ExpoBici: Fair-Event for bicycle lovers

September

Auto e Moto d‟Epoca: Vintage cars showroom October

Exposcuola: School and young people

November

Arte Padova: Contemporary art exhibition and market November

Job Meeting: where businesses meet graduates

Fiera del Santo

June 13th, St. Antony‟s day, in Prato della Valle .

Mercatino dell'antiquariato

Flea market, on the third Sunday every month, in Prato della Valle. Antiques, second-hand and collecting items.

Maratona di Padova: St. Antony‟s Marathon

April

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WHAT TO SEE IN PADUA

St. Antony‟s Basilica, that Paduans simply

call il Santo (the Saint), is the most important Church in the city and one of the most visited

in the world. St. Antony of Padua was born in Lisbon in

1195, he became a Franciscan friar, he preached in Northern Italy and died in the sur-

roundings of Padua when he was only 36. The year following his death the building of the ba-

silica was started. The Basilica still holds the saint‟s mortal remains and some relics, among which his chin and tongue.

The Basilica is visited by pilgrims from every part of the world, especially on

the 13th of June when a traditional procession takes place.

In the square in front of the Basilica you can see the equestrian statue of Gattamelata, by Donatello.

The University of Padua was founded in 1222 and is the second oldest univer-

sity in Italy. It is called il „Bo‟ (the ox) be-cause the building was originally a hotel

that had an ox in its sign. Inside the building you can see an ana-

tomical theatre of the XVI century. Be-

sides, you can see the old chair of Galileo Galilei, who was a professor of the uni-

versity for many years. The university attracts students from every part of Italy, but also foreign

students, who often choose Padua for their Erasmus experience. If you are walking in the city centre you

can often see young people, who have just got their de-

gree, getting out the building and being mocked by their

friends. The friends hang the so-called “Papiri” on the walls

of the building, they are post-ers that contain ironic or

funny episodes of the gradu-

ate life. The graduates have to read the “Papiri” aloud in

front of their parents and relatives.

16

The Palazzo della Ragione, also called „Salone‟ is 82 metres long and 27

meresr wide and was built on a lobby of the XIV century that has a wooden ceiling shaped as a ship bottom.

It used to be the old seat of the city court of justice and it is one of the widest

hanging halls in Europe. The building, whose construction works started in in 1218, is one of the most famous civilian monuments of the age of the Italian

city-states. Inside you can see a huge wooden horse, a Renaissance copy of the horse of Donatello‟s equestrian

statue of Gattamelata. A corner of the Salone houses now a pendulum of Fou-

cault, to remark the inseparable link between Padua and science. The Salone lies between the two big squares called Piazze delle Erbe e delle Frutta, that

host markets. Under the Salone, along two parallel arcades, there are numer-ous typical shops selling foodstuffs.

The Cappella degli Scrovegni

is situated in the centre of Padua and hosts the most famous

frescoes by Giotto (1303-1305), considered one of the Western

art masterpieces. The chapel was built by Enrico

Scrovegni, a wealthy Paduan banker, who called Florentine

artist Giotto to paint the interior.

At that time Giotto, after work-ing for the Franciscan friars in

Assisi and Rimini, was in Padua working in St. Antony‟s Basilica.

The works were finished very quickly, in 1305, after two years

only, the Chapel was fully decorated.

The theme of the frescoes is salvation. Giotto divides the narration into 40 scenes, situated in the 3 belts of the walls. He used the technique of painting

in fresco, that is the most common technique of mural painting.

From the outside the chapel shows a very simple structure, it is built in red brick and has no decorations. In 2001 the frescoes were completely restored

as they were in bad condition. Now they can be admired in their full magnifi-

cence.

17

Prato della Valle is a huge tri-

angular square surrounded by a

long of buildings, the largest and most prominent of which

being the Church of Santa Giustina.

The square was planned in 1775 by Domenico Cerato, who de-

signed the vast, oval-shaped garden surrounded by a canal

adorned by a double line of statues of famous personalities.

The square is crossed by four straight boulevards lined with trees, that meet at the centre of the small

island at the centre of the garden. The design of the square was inspired by the venetian tradition of patri-

cian gardens. For the first time the patrician garden was adopted not as a

private facility but in the city planning to improve the environment, ac-cording to neoclassical ideas.

Prato della Valle is the example of a town planning characterised by a great aesthetic awareness, mixing nature and architecture in a fine bal-

ance that reminds us of the great venetian tradition.

The Caffè Pedrocchi was built in a tri-angular area in the very centre of the

city. In 1816 Antonio Pedrocchi had given

the famous Venetian architect Giuseppe Jappelli the task to enlarge the small

cafè he had inherited from his father. The ground floor, the cafè, consists of a

series of rooms, each one called ac-

cording to the colour of its walls (white, red, yellow, green hall). The upper

floor, once the seat of a city club, con-sists of a series of function rooms decorated in various styles of the past;

today it hosts the Museum of the Risorgimento and Contemporary Age.

IN

18

THE SURROUNDINGS OF PADUA

From Padua you can easily reach, by public transport, some important tourist

destinations: the walled cities Cittadella, Este, Montagnana, the Euganean Hills (including Abano Terme and Arquà Petrarca), Castelfranco Veneto, Bassano del

Grappa and the river Brenta.

Walled Cities - Cittadella, Este and Montagnana are important medieval cit-

ies still surrounded by walls, located North and South-East of Padua.

Cittadella was founded in 1220 by the will of the Commune

of Padua. The most typical as-pects of the town are its extraor-

dinary walls and the strategic lo-

cation it had in the territory con-trolled by Padua.

The town walls (1220 A.D.) have an irregular elliptical shape. In-

side the walls, two straight roads connect the four gates of the

town to the centre. The walls have four openings to the outside, with four bridges at the gates, towards the

towns of Padua, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa e Treviso.

Este owes its name to the river Adige, called Athesis by the Romans, that

flowed in this territory. The Lords of Este, after obtaining the title of mar-quises, moved their capital city to Ferrara (1239). In the XIV century Este was

the object of the contrasting interests of the families of Scaligeri, Carraresi and Visconti. Today the town is an agricultural and industrial centre of some impor-

tance. The town walls, dating back to XIV century and well preserved, are about 1 km long and 1.5 m wide, with Guelph battlement, 14 rectangular

towers, 12 of which are open on the inside, a donjon 21 m high and the “Porta del Soccorso” (emergengy gate) looking to the North-East and with a court-

yard.

Montagnana lies in the fertile

countryside across three provinces

(Padua, Verona and Rovigo) that used to be the Adige riverbed and is

universally known for its splendid and well-preserved medieval city walls.

After the siege of Ezzelino, the town was returned to the Commune of Pa-

dua: in 1275 a garrison was installed, the castle was enlarged and a curtain

19

was erected. The building of the walls was completed by the Carraresi in 1362.

The walls are irregular in shape, about 2 km in length, between 6.5 and 8 m in height and 1 m in width, with huge archivolts that support the walkway. There

are 24 towers of various shapes, over 8 m high over the battlement, the tow-

ers at the corners are 19 m high.

Euganean Hills – The Euganean

Hills are a group of hils of vol-canic origin that stretch, like a

group of islands, across 19,000 hectares South-East of Padua.

They are the first regional park of Veneto, founded in 1989. In

this area there are 15 municipali-ties, among which Abano Terme

and Arquà Petrarca.

Abano is a well-known spa, enjoying mild weather at almost all times of the year. Its origins date back to

prehistoric times, and paleovenetian populations knew the therapeutical prop-erties of its thermal waters. The water, from the Pre-Alpine basins, flows un-

derground and is enriched with precious beneficial minerals, and comes up to the surface in the Euganean Spas area at a temperature of 87° C. This water,

unique in the world, is at the basis of the process of maturation, conservation and regeneration of the thermal mud, which contains sodium chloride, bromide

and iodide and has therapeutical properties.

Arquà Petrarca, inhabited since the

Roman times, acquired more impor-tance after the famous Italian poet

Francesco Petrarca expressed the wish to spend his last years in the peace

and quiet of the place. The town hosts the poet‟s house and

the tomb with his mortal remains. Apart from the historic and naturalistic

aspects, investments have been made for the promotion of local products, especially olive oil, leading the town to be-

come a member of the Associazione Nazionale Città dell'Olio (national associa-tion of oil-producing towns).

20

Castelfranco Veneto (Casteo in ve-

netian language) is an Italian munici-pality in the province of Treviso.

Situated in a mid position between the

chief Venetian towns of Padova, Tre-viso and Vicenza, it is a walled city

with a very well-preserved medieval castle. Hometown of Giorgione, it

hosts the painter‟s house and, in a chapel of the cathedral, the famous

Pala di Castelfranco. Castelfranco is charcterised by its castle, that encloses the old town centre with high, red-

brick walls, and six towers.

Bassano del Grappa and river Brenta - Bassano del Grappa is situated on

the border of the provinces of Vicenza, Padua and Treviso. The town lies at the foot of Venetian Pre-Alps (Altopiano di Asiago and Monte

Grappa). The archaeological findings give evidence of a Pre-Roman settlement;

the Romans then conquered this land in the II century B.C. and made it suit-able for cultivation. In medieval times the river Brenta became an important

source of income, in fact the lords of the town collected toll money from the use of the bridge and the transit of

goods. The bridge has therefore be-come a symbol of the town.

Today Bassano reminds more of the two world wars of the XX century: it

was at the front line during the First World War and its name, in 1928,

was associated to Monte Grappa in honour of the resistance of the Ital-

ian soldiers positioned on the Grappa massif after the defeat at

Caporetto.

The bridge (ponte degli Alpini) on the river Brenta owes its present

structure to the 1570 design by Palladio.

INDICE

21

OTHER EASY-TO-REACH DESTINATIONS

Padua lies at a short distance from some of the most popular world-famous Italian tourist destinations, that can be easily reached by public transport.

First of all Venice, the chief town of Veneto; an an-

cient maritime republic, Venice is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world and has been in-

cluded, with its surrounding lagoon, in the world heri-tage sites by UNESCO.

Verona is not so far from Padua as well.

Every year it is visited by about 3 million tourists, many of which from abroad,

thanks to its many works of art and archi-tecture (among the most famous monu-

ments are the Arena and the house of Juliet), and to various cultural events, the

most important of which are the opera and the theatre summer seasons.

Verona has been included in the

world heritage sites by UNESCO due to its urban structure and ar-

chitecture.

22

Lastly, we cannot forget the Dolomites, the mountain range characterised by

dolomitic limestone. Among the best known holiday resorts is Cortina

d‟Ampezzo, in the Cadore area.

The Dolomites were included in the world heritage sites by UNESCO in 2001.