Padua, 19-21 February 2026
We traveled by train to Padua, in the Veneto region east of Piemonte. It was an easy trip on high-speed trains and inexpensive with our senior-citizen passes. We arrived Thursday around noon and walked in light rain from the station to our lodging in Piazzale Pontecorvo. We quickly learned to pay attention to bicycle lanes when walking in Padua–in this university town of about 300,000 souls, located in the flat Po River plain, bicyclists of all ages ride purposefully and at speed.
After lunch we emerged into a sunny afternoon to find the Basilica di Sant’ Antonio very nearby. Donatello’s equestrian statue of Gattamelata, usually found in the piazza of the Basilica and one of the sights we’d come to see, was away for restoration–a disappointment. But the Basilica made up for that in architectural grandeur and human emotional impact. At dusk we walked around the Prato della Valle, then back toward Pontecorvo and an early night.
Friday morning was the main event: our scheduled visit to the Capella degli Scrovegni, a fresco cycle masterpiece by Giotto. Before our appointed time we explored other treasures of the Museo Eremitani, but afterward I floated on clouds of delight and awe at having spent 15 precious minutes in the presence of such significant and affecting work. After a very good lunch we returned to the Prato to see it in full sunlight and then visited the Orto Botanico, the first botanic garden in the world, established in 1545. Most of the gardens were dormant but the walled spaces and glass houses pleased us and the late afternoon light was spectacular.
Before our homebound train departed on Saturday afternoon we had time to visit the Palazzo della Ragione, a vast civic monument with frescoed walls and ceilings. At the western end of the great hall stands a gigantic sculpture of a horse, a wooden replica of Donatello’s bronze original, Gattamelata’s mount. Afterward we wandered through crowded market piazzas and covered halls. We bought some small gifts and two panini– stuffed with soppressata, a Veneto speciality– to eat on the train.
Around 8:00 on Saturday evening we arrived Mondovì station, a bit tired but filled with satisfaction and gladness that all this beauty, history, and rich cultural heritage are so close to home.
Click on the links to see more photos of our visit to Padua:
Thursday https://photos.app.goo.gl/sk75vM1qsQSJh5sJA