Day 11 - Padova (Padua): Everson and Aliya

 Day 11 - Padova (Padua): Everson and Aliya

Giotto's famous Scrovegni Chapel frescoes

Everson: Today was an exciting day since we set off on the trip to Padua, filled with curiosity and enthusiasm. I awoke at six in the morning, anxious to engage myself in the history and culture that awaited me at the Civic Museum of Padua (Musei Civici di Padova), and later the medieval University of Padua. We all met at the train station in Montebelluna to get the trip started. Upon arriving at the museum in Padova, I was immediately captivated by the great detail of the archeological artifacts. With the group, I was ready to explore the museum and learn more about what was held inside. Upon visiting the famous Scrovegni chapel, we were lucky enough to watch a short video explaining the history of the design and art in the chapel and their religious significance. 

Besides this museum, the University of Padova was a short walk within the heart of this city. Founded in 1222 by a group of passionate professors and students, the university was a place of knowledge and intellectual freedom in a time when the Catholic Church held immense power. It was this spirit of independence and pursuit of truth that led them to establish a university in Padua, a city known for its vibrant and forward-thinking community. With a local guide, we wandered the halls of this historic university, where we learned fascinating details about how the school was run in its earliest days. Originally, lessons were conducted in the houses of professors, creating a unique student-professor relationship. After learning all of this new and interesting information, the group later went to Giorgio’s house and had dinner. It has been a great night and I can’t wait for tomorrow!

The main lecture hall in the Palazzo Bo

Aliya: In the morning, we took a train with our Italian hosts to visit the city of Padova. After we arrived, we went immediately on foot to the Scrovegni Chapel. This 14th century church contains colorful frescos painted in a style called realism, and of course, it depicts famous scenes from the Bible, focusing on the life of Jesus. I found it particularly interesting that different colors represented different things; for example, blue represented wisdom, red represented love, and pink represented joy. At the end of the church, there was a painting of the Last Judgment, or end of the world, where some people were sent to heaven while others went to hell. From my point of view, I actually thought the angels looked like people sitting in a movie theater, and so I was a bit confused at least for a second. 

Did you know that Elena Cornaro Piscopia was the first woman to ever receive a doctoral degree in 1678?

Afterwards, we went to the University of Padova's Palazzo Bo which is an old palace that was donated to the university. It was divided into four majors, kind of like the houses of Hogwarts: mathematics, anatomy, and two law majors. On the walls of the largest classroom, there were coat of arms representing student leaders, and on the ceiling, we saw four portraits of key figures from each of these majors, including Galileo, who once taught here. Another room that I found super interesting here was the Anatomical Theater or Teatro Anatomico. Traditionally, at the end of each school year, two of the top medical students were selected by their professors to perform a dissection of a male body and a female body. The theatre itself has a super cool structure. This place also featured a vertebrae of Galileo, which I found slightly unsettling.

After lunch, we visited a church dedicated to the medieval Italian saint Antonio of Padua. The interior itself was a mix of many different art styles, which was fascinating. After that, we had a bit more free time before regrouping at the train station to leave the city. Tonight, we’re all invited to a dinner party at the house of one of the Italian host students, and I'm sure we'll all have a lot of fun.

Interior of the church dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua