Loading...Padova is big, that’s the first thing I didn’t expect. You can’t leave a small painted cozy town like Verona and land in Padova without a bit of a shock to the system. The next bit of fun came during our walk from the train station to the Scrovegni Chapel to see the Giottos. Someone came up behind me and tried to get into my backpack. I wish I could say that this is the first time this happened to me, but I recognized the strange feeling of someone behind me and then a little tug. I stopped and turned around and stared the little bugger in the face, but he quickly ran off. As with the last time this happened to me (descending the stairs to the Pigalle Metro stop in Paris 12 years ago), the only treasure he would have gotten from me had he gotten the zipper open was my scarf and my guide book. However, it put me on edge and made me a little paranoid and made it even harder for me to like Padova.
The Scrovegni Chapel is a whole lot of buildup for not a huge pay off. You sit in a climate controlled room for 15 minutes and then that set you loose for another 15. That style of art has never been a favorite of mine, but the colors were beautiful. I think I would have liked it better if I’d had absolutely no expectation. But, alas, I did. I’m glad we saw it though.
I won’t now go into all the details on the differences between Italy and the US. Let me just say that Americans are spoiled when it comes to signs that explain things, like where to catch a bus or where to stand in line for something. That’s all I’m going to say on the subject, that and they should reconsider the hours that they open their stores to actually be more convenient for people who may want to shop in them. That’s all.
The highlight of Padova was the Palazzo Bo, or the University of Padova. The ancient courtyard and the anatomy theatre (built in 1495, the first anatomy theatre in the world). Were amazing. I can’t wait to post photos. Eric was able to get more into the spirit of youth this university town had, I had a harder time. There was a lot of chaos due to graduation (see Eric’s post) and I was having a hard time acclimating to this new town. It was a lovely town, in a dirty medieval sort of way and I really enjoyed the history of the academic culture there. So, you see, I am still trying really really hard to like Padova.
