Padua, Veneto

People at tourist stalls in front of the Basilica of Sant Antonio in Padua, Italy on September 28, 2

Explore the Cities and Towns of Veneto

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Overview

The origins of Padua also knows as Padova can be traced back over 3000 years of history. One of the most important cities in both Roman and Medieval times, its Medieval historic city center remains almost perfectly intact. Padua was once a flourishing center of humanist and Renaissance culture. The presence of illustrious names such as Francesco Petrarca and Galileo Galilei can still be felt today, and there are many works by Donatello, Titian and Veronese to be admired.

Visit Italy's second oldest university founded in the 13th century by a group of academics and students from the University of Bologna who were in search of greater academic freedom.  Visitors are shown the lecture hall where Galileo started his career before all the trouble with Rome.  The university later became famous for its medical teachings and carried out the country's first dissections, in the anatomical theater, which can still be visited today.

The university also has the world's oldest botanical gardens.  Today, as well as the historical gardens with their collection of medicinal and poisonous plants, modern greenhouses, powered by green energy, house an extensive collection of tropical plants.

Other places to visit: the Museum of Applied and Decorative Arts, the Amento and Donato Sartori International Mask Museum, and the Minici Zotti Pre-cinema Collection Museum. There are enchanting Villas and Castles such as Villa Selvatico Sartori, Villa Elmo Capodilista and Villa Contarini. Padua is likened to Venice for its web of navigable canals, along the Brenta River, from Padua to Battaglia and Monselice, from Padua to Saccolongo and from Pontelongo to Chioggia.

The surrounding area is of great natural and manmade beauty, from the Euganei Hills to the Ecclesiastical buildings such as the Monteortone Sanctuary and the Benedettina Abbey of Praglia.

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Padua

Stories That Stay With You

Here's what our guests share about their unforgettable journeys

“Jesse, There are no words to describe the fabulous time we had in Italy. Everything went as you promised. Absolutely no problems! The venues were fabulous. The guides were punctual and helpful. It couldn't have worked out better. You and your staff deserve high praise for the quality and efficiency of your work. BTW, Guiseppe was an absolute delight. We enjoyed his informative and effervescent per”
[Read More] Jo Ann West
“Dear Guiseppe and Jesse, We just returned from our most wonderful vacation to Italy and wanted to first thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip, and second to provide some feedback for the future. Hotels 1. Hotel Sovestro in San Gimignano was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made the first portion of our journey very stress free. They made us feel like we were p”
[Read More] Ron and Deb Crosby
“I am a travel agent from Lebanon and have organized several group tours as well as individual tours of Italy with Italy Vacation Specialists. I highly recommend them as one of the very best tour operators in Italy to work with, given their professionalism and work ethic which I feel is second-to-none in the travel industry. All of the staff, the guides, the coaches and even the meals we enjoyed we”
[Read More] Nicole Haddad, Lebanese Travel Agent
“I traveled with JoAnn West through your services, guided by Giuseppe, in July of this year. What a wonderful experience; your service is really top notch! If I return to Italy for a tour, I will absolutely use your services again and recommend you to my friends!”
[Read More] Lucretia Brower
“We're home now from the most amazing trip to Italy! I can't thank you enough for your efforts and coordination of what was without question the finest vacations I've been on to date.”
[Read More] Carol Carson
“Jesse & Giuseppe, Sandy and I have been looking through my slides of our trip to Southern Italy. We had such a good time with you and Giuseppe that we wanted to let you know again. You were the best guides ever.”
[Read More] Bob & Sandy
“In August 2018, my family of four and myself travelled from Vancouver, BC to Rome Italy and spent 3 weeks touring Italy with IVS. This company had come highly recommended by many friends and associates of ours who had used them before and indeed to say they do an outstanding job is an understatement. You can tell while being in Italy that it is one complicated place to run tours in, just by the sh”
[Read More] Vijaya Sunil CPA, CGA
“As a travel agent, but also a traveler to Italy, thee is no other company I would recommend than the Italy Vacation Specialists. Not only do they really care about what they are doing, they also really know Italy and try to educate many people about ways they can best see the country and not fall into tourist traps. I have been on 4 trips with the IVS team, firstly when they did my first 2 trips f”
[Read More] Laura Chomiak, Travel Agent
“I went to high school with the owner of the company who organized my honeymoon for myself and my now wife from Tokyo. We spent three short weeks seeing Piedmont and experiencing wine paradise there, then heading to Nice in France with our private driver and flying to Rome where honestly 4 days is NOT enough. They keep saying to spend more time and we could not agree more! You need to spend more ti”
[Read More] Robin and Kumi Bruun, Tokyo Japan
“The trip was great; we appreciate all the hard work you and your team invested to make our experience a once in a lifetime trip. We appreciate all the attention to the details, in particular Giuseppe spending the time and the focus with us on the road and as we were exploring your great country.”
[Read More] Leon and Michele

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