Italy’s great poet Petrarch (Petrarca) spent the last five years of his life in the medieval village of Arquà Petrarca, where you can visit his stone house, add your thoughts to guestbooks signed by Rilke and Mozart, and pay homage to Petrarch’s embalmed pet cat. Up to three daily buses from Padua (€3.10, 55 minutes) pass through town en route to Este. You can visit the house for free with a valid PadovaCard.
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions
12.6 MILES
Padua's version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italy's great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto…
12.28 MILES
Padua’s Museum of Medical History is a fascinating mash-up of historical artefacts and high-tech exhibits that detail the city’s outsized contribution to…
20.9 MILES
Behind a walled garden lies a Renaissance marvel: the Teatro Olimpico, which Palladio began in 1580 with inspiration from Roman amphitheatres. Vincenzo…
19.6 MILES
No matter how you look at it, this villa is a showstopper: the namesake dome caps a square base, with identical colonnaded facades on all four sides. This…
12.26 MILES
This Renaissance palazzo (mansion) is the seat of Padua’s history-making university. Founded by renegade scholars from Bologna seeking greater…
20.97 MILES
An extraordinary collection of treasures awaits inside Palazzo Leoni Montanari,including ancient pottery from Magna Graecia and grand salons filled with…
12.44 MILES
The huge 14th-century battlements surrounding Montagnana represent one of the most complete medieval fortified complexes in Europe. The 2km-circuit,…
29.95 MILES
Named after the spiky diamond-shaped ashlar stones on its facade, the late-15th-century 'diamond palace' was built for Sigismondo d'Este. It houses…
Nearby The Veneto attractions
1. Villa Barbarigo Pizzoni Ardemani
1.62 MILES
Located in the town of Galzignano Terme, Villa Barbarigo Pizzoni Ardemani is home to one of the finest historical gardens in Europe, shot through with…
2.79 MILES
At the southern reaches of the Colli Euganei (Euganean Hills), in the pocket-sized town of Monselice, lies this remarkable medieval castle. Its oldest…
3. Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei
3.15 MILES
The Ancient Veneto survives in this 18,694-hectare park in which about a sixth of Italy's botanical species thrive thanks to its unique location and…
4.06 MILES
Housed in a handsome 16th-century palazzo, Este's notable archaeological museum contains around 65,000 objects, among them pre-Roman and Roman artefacts…
11.8 MILES
At the southern edge of the historical centre, this odd, elliptical garden was long used as a communal sports ground. Today it's a popular spot for locals…
11.97 MILES
Planted in 1545 by Padua University’s medical faculty to study the medicinal properties of rare plants, Padua’s World Heritage–listed Orto Botanico is the…
7. Oratorio di San Giorgio & Scuola del Santo
12.05 MILES
Anywhere else, the fresco cycle of the Oratorio di San Giorgio and the paintings in the Scuola del Santo would be considered highlights, but in Padua they…
12.08 MILES
Gracing Piazza del Santo, Donatello's majestic bronze equestrian statue dates back to 1453. On horseback is Erasmo da Narni (nicknamed Gattamelata), a…