Padua, Italy

If you are Roman Catholic, you likely know all about the patron saints and which ones you pray to for intercession for certain reasons.  The patron saint of lost things/lost causes is St. Anthony of Padua (in Italy, they call it Padova).  Since Padua is just a quick half hour train ride from Venice, we decided to do a little day trip to see one of my favorite patron saints! 

Padua is a VERY old city.  It was founded in 1183 BC (yes, I said BC) although it didn't really become a part of Rome until the mid 40s BC.

Graduation refreshments, because the University of Padua is nearby.  Are the plates of spaghetti that big, or are the students just really small????

We decided to go to the church first, since it was why we went to Padua. The Basilica of St. Anthony (also known as il Santo) was built in the early to mid 1200s, just after St. Anthony died.

My cuties have lost a LOT of things over the years, so it's only fitting we go give thanks to St. Anthony.  See those glasses on Natalie's face?  That's pair #2.  We're still waiting to find pair #1.

Photography is not allowed in the Basilica.  But I love a good tender moment when my hubby is praying.  (Sorry St. Anthony, I know this isn't your rule though!)  Anyone can walk right up to St. Anthony's tomb and get some quiet reflection time and pray.  You can even touch the marble that he lies in.

Ooops, my phone must have accidentally taken a picture of the ceiling above the grave of St. Anthony!  Isn't it beautiful!?  St. Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal with the birth name of Fernando Martins de Bulhoes to a privileged family.  He died at the age of 35 in Padua, and is buried here.

This is what St. Anthony's burial place looks like from the side.  With a woman who is appropriately dressed in front of it.  Remember to cover your knees and shoulders, women!  There's also a drop box (on the left) for prayers to St. Anthony.  Behind me, you can write a note, and then leave your prayers in the box.

St. Anthony died young from ergotism, which was a fungus found in certain grains, such as rye.  Noticing the skeleton at the top of this, I thought maybe this had something to do with his death.  But then I noticed a couple of sad looking men, a chicken, a bunch of books, and two busts.  It could be a statue dedicated to the things St. Anthony is patron saint to... such as shipwrecks, poor people, animals (lower animals... is a chicken considered such?) and of course... the books representing his importance as a preacher.

St. Anthony was known to be a fantastic preacher.  Thirty years after his death, his coffin was opened and while his body was gone (except his bones), his tongue remained intact.  It now is on display for you to see in a gold reliquary (behind the glass in the picture above) along with his jawbone and his vocal chords.

The outside of the Basilica of St. Anthony is as pretty as the inside, with it's diverse mix of Gothic, Byzantine and Romanesque features.

I know in 15 years or more, we will have no idea what the war between the pigeons and the seagulls means (in fact, I'm not quite sure what it means now... but it's something Grant has invented).  Apparently this pigeon, with his purple hue hanging out outside of the Basilica of St. Anthony, is one of the generals of the pigeon gang. The more rare the color, the more important they are.

I had a plethora of blue hydrangea at my wedding, on my centerpieces and in my bouquet.  It's definitely my favorite flower.  I have a fantastic mess of them at my current home. (Exhibit A:  This picture was taken before the 95 degree heat in Germany took most of my flowers.)

Exhibit B:  But look at this picture in Padua of the vibrant neon pink colors!  What Ph do I need to get those colors!?  So many colors!  I wish I had a green thumb.  I'm an expert at killing plants!  My hydrangeas were pretty, but not as pretty (and as long lasting in the heat) as these are.

I know summer is supposed to be high season in Italy but... this.  

We strolled past some of the buildings at the University of Padua on our way to find some lunch.  The university was founded in 1222 and is the 5th oldest (still active) university in the world.  Galilleo taught here in the late 1500s and early 1600s.  Did you know that the first woman to ever receive a Ph.D. earned one at the University of Padua?  Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia got her degree in philosophy in 1678.  

Walking through Padua, we passed a travel agency.  AWWWWW!  They were advertising the ship we had just been on (although with a different stops.)  The kids were sentimental.

The Torre delgi Anziani is the first thing you see if you are heading toward the Piazza della Frutta.  In English, it means the Tower of the Senior Citizens (or Elderly.)  It was originally likely built in the 1100s, but of course, due to earthquakes and other various reasons (sewer systems!) it had to be rebuilt several times.  A lot of the materials are original, however.

Between the Torre delgi Anziani and the Palazzo Bo stood a few pieces of contemporary art by Gaetano Pesce.  The sign next to it said, "La Maesta Tradita is a monumental sculpture of a woman wrapped in a mantel (that's coat in German, so I guess that's what they meant) of shreds of flesh, a sort of maternity mat.  A queen of a chain, a symbol of slavery to which thousands of women all over the world are sadly still subjected.  In its forms, the sculpture reflects those of the iconic armchair and mother, seated on a throne but suffering, as suggested by the ball tied to the foot by an Up 5, designed by Gaetano Pesce in the late 60s of Paleolithic Venus, symbol of fertility and sacredness."  Well, that's the translation, anyway!  The title translates to, "The Betrayed Majesty."  It references the "iconic armchair and mother" which was one of his most famous works of art (that will turn 50 years old next year in 2019.)

On the other side, with the ball and chain.

Interestingly, Pesce is a bit more known for his architecture than his art.  He was obviously quite controversial when it came to art (which I love!)  I read up a bit about him after our trip, and his views on art and life were fascinating.  In one interview with Damn Magazine (yes, that's the name! Awesome!), he said, "The specialisation is a castration. It happens in your life that you have curiosity, and curiosity can go everywhere, and if you are curious about space you do a project of architecture, if you are curious about music you make a piece of music. The idea that you must respect and stay in a certain area is very American. And I wonder if this is a need for security, because you want to keep knowledge only here, and then someone else is there, and there is never a transversal connection, which is very bad." 

I love what he says above, because I have the gypsy gene.  I don't want to stay in one place and learn just one thing.  The world is too big for that.  He goes on to say, "The most important characteristic of our time is communication. We have so much information that it allows us to move between one media and another. I was always like that – also because I am bored easily, and so when I do something for a week or a month, then I need to change. It’s also a way to stay fresh. Interrupting routine is a way to have new ideas. In my life I’ve been involved with music, with the theatre, I was involved in other things. I believe they give me a capacity to have a work that is not superficial." 

Although he might be known for his architecture, he certainly didn't stay in that field permanently.

This is SUCH a funny story.  Another of Pesce's works was next to La Maesta Tradita, and we all stood around contemplating what we thought of it, and perhaps the meaning of the work of art.  At last, I announced, "I think it looks like a headless mermaid on a cross!"  And Grant (age 8) stops and says, "Mommy, that's Italy!"  (And then I face palm and walk away slowly with a tucked tail.)

He was right, of course.

Notice how the meaty (and mighty) Sardinia has fallen on the ground beneath Sicily.

Palazzo Bo is the center of the University of Padua and the location of the anatomical theater.  Galileo's chair/podium is here!  

SOME say that Ragione Palace has the largest roof in Europe that doesn't have any support columns.  I'm not sure of that. It was originally built in 1218, but got a bit bigger in the early 1300s.  Ragione means "reason" in Italian, and it's named this because it used to be a courthouse.  "The law is reason free from passion." (Come on, name the movie!)

This palace sits in the Piazza della Frutta, or Square of the Fruit because the market is here, and has traditionally sold plenty of fruit (and vegetables!  And now fish!)

If you think you can't find a quiet street in Italy in the summer, you're wrong.

Piazza dei Signori with the Torre dell'Orologio in the background.  That translates to "Square of the Gentlemen" in Italian.  This is where a lot of political celebrations occurred. This clock tower was built in the early 1300s and the clock was installed in 1428.

Back to the Ragione Palace to have a drink.  Come on.  Don't you know by now this is how we operate?

I know.  You probably get tired of this.  But I truly think they are the cutest (only when they aren't fighting).  You think the same about your kids, and that is ok!  Your kids rock, too!  I only hope my kids can appreciate someday that we had sodas in the piazza in front of the Ragione Palace in Padua.

Blinky and Inky.  Or Natalie and Grant with Blinky and Inky.  I'm fairly certain they called these guys some other names.  Do they have other names? 

In Padua, Roman ruins still stand from the turn of the millennium.  (Not surprising since they became a part of the Roman empire not long before that.)  Did you know that Padua was the setting for a good part of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew?

After our short ride home, we grabbed some local dinner in the Mestre area (at the Hostaria Vita Rossa) while the kids had McDonalds … and then, after they were in bed, we watched some World Cup!  France played Belgium and beat them 1-0.  There were a bunch of French people there and they were super excited (although we watched most of the game from our room!)

Until next time, Padua!