Padua has wonderful art, history and culture
I don’t often have the chance to explore some of the smaller cities on my trips to Europe. So, knowing I had a car this time, I set for Padua. Have always wanted to see the cities that Shakespeare wrote about, and it would make a good base for other explorations in the Veneto area. Since I was traveling by car, my first job was to find a hotel that offered parking, which meant outside of the center of town, but close enough that the bus ride would not be too long. My choice was the Hotel Giovanni , Northeast of the historic center of town. This hotel seemed to operated mostly for people on business, although it was packed for the national holiday. It offered reasonable prices, and an excellent breakfast buffet. Padua , which claims to be the oldest city in northern Europe, is 40 Km (25 mi) west of Venice. It is home to second oldest university in Italy. Padua was able to maintain its independence during most of the Middle Ages, but it fell under Venetian rule in...