Free Walking Tour Padua: From Giotto to Ponte Molino

Your Padua Walking Tour, Stop by Stop: Frescoes, Saints and Scholars

1. 1

   Scrovegni Chapel

   

   From outside, the Scrovegni Chapel looks modest: a small church beside the former Augustinian monastery of the Eremitani, both now part of the Civic Museums of Padua. Locals also call it the Arena Chapel, because it stands on land that the banker Enrico Scrovegni bought right next to the remains of a Roman arena. For a generation before the chapel existed, this open ground was where Padua staged an outdoor procession and sacred play of the Annunciation.

   Scrovegni gave the commission to Giotto. The church was dedicated to Santa Maria della Carità on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1303 and consecrated in 1305, and a motet by the composer Marchetto da Padova seems to have been written for the dedication on 25 March 1305. So the place carries the Annunciation in its ground, its name day and its music.

   Inside, Giotto and his workshop painted every surface, walls and ceiling alike, in a nave just under 21 metres long, about 8.4 metres wide and 12.65 metres high. The largest cycles tell the life of the Virgin and the life of Christ, with Mary's role in salvation at the centre. Turn around before you leave: the entrance wall carries a huge Last Judgement. Low on the side walls, look for the grisaille panels in grey tones showing the Vices and Virtues.

   These frescoes, finished around 1305, set off a revolution in wall painting and shaped technique, style and subject matter for a whole century. Whether you know art history or not, this is the one interior on the route you should not skip; entry is by booked time slot.

   From here it's 300 metres, about 4 minutes, past the Civic Museums to the church the Augustinian friars built next door.

   Local name

   Cappella degli Scrovegni

   Hours

   Daily 09:00–19:00 (last entry 18:45); evening visits 25 Mar–1 Nov 19:00–22:00; timed entry, booking required

   Price

   8 EUR full price + 1 EUR online booking fee

   Website

   cappelladegliscrovegni.it ↗

   Location

   Scrovegni Chapel on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Church of the Eremitani

   

   The Church of the Eremitani belonged to the Augustinian Hermits, whose monastery to the north now holds the civic museums and the Scrovegni Chapel. It is dedicated to the apostles Philip and James the Less and was built from 1276. In 1510 Martin Luther stayed in the monastery on his journey to Rome. Napoleon's secularisation dissolved the community, and today it is a parish church.

   Look at the facade, a typical design for a mendicant order: five tall round-arched blind niches along the lower level, sarcophagi set into the two outer pairs, and a gable with a rose window divided by flat pilaster strips. It was finished by the middle of the 14th century. The side portal with its little canopy dates from 1442.

   The church was famous for frescoes by Andrea Mantegna, and most of them were lost on 11 March 1944, when an Allied air raid destroyed the building. Only the lower part of the facade and the north walls of the nave and choir stood. Between 1946 and 1950 it was rebuilt, the south wall with the old bricks, and the 1442 portal had come through unharmed.

   Go in; it's free and quick. The single wide nave has walls banded in alternating tuff and brick, and overhead is a wooden ceiling of two half barrels and one full barrel, rebuilt true to the original that Fra Giovanni degli Eremitani designed in 1306. Remember his name: the same year he worked on the roof of the Palazzo della Ragione, later on this walk.

   Next comes the longest leg so far, 1060 metres or about 14 minutes south to the Basilica of Saint Anthony.

   Hours

   Mon–Fri: 07:30–12:30, 15:30–19:00 | Sat–Sun: 09:00–12:30, 16:00–19:00

   Price

   Free

   Website

   diocesipadova.it ↗

   Location

   Church of the Eremitani on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Basilica of Saint Anthony

   

   Paduans simply call it il Santo. The Basilica of Saint Anthony is one of the largest churches in the world and draws more than 6.5 million pilgrims a year, which makes it one of the most venerated shrines in Christendom. It keeps the tomb and relics of Saint Anthony of Padua, and you will see people at prayer there; this is a working sanctuary first, a monument second.

   Before you go in, look at the square in front, Piazza del Santo, with Donatello's bronze equestrian statue of the condottiero Gattamelata. Keep the horse in mind; you'll meet a wooden copy of it later on the route. Donatello also made the bronze crucifix, statues and reliefs that the architect Camillo Boito arranged on the high altar he designed.

   The basilica has an unusual status. For centuries the city of Padua owned and ran it, from 1396 through a lay body called the Veneranda Arca di Sant'Antonio. With the Lateran Pacts, ownership passed to the Holy See, although the complex remains Italian territory. Today the Conventual Franciscan friars look after it, alongside a papal delegate and the still existing Arca.

   Entry is free, and it is worth going in whatever your beliefs: the scale, Donatello's bronzes and the atmosphere around the saint's tomb are the reasons. Then walk 320 metres, about 4 minutes, past the Museo Antoniano to the Botanical Garden.

   Local name

   Basilica di Sant'Antonio di Padova

   Hours

   Mon–Fri 06:15–18:45 (standard time), 06:15–19:25 (daylight-saving time); Sat–Sun 06:15–19:25. Religious services may restrict sightseeing.

   Price

   Free

   Website

   santantonio.org ↗

   Location

   Basilica of Saint Anthony on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Botanical Garden of Padua

   

   The Botanical Garden of Padua was founded in June 1545 by decision of the Senate of the Venetian Republic, and it is the world's oldest academic botanical garden still in its original location. The University of Padua runs it, the Italian state owns it, and it covers roughly 22,000 square metres.

   It started as a garden of 'simples', medicinal herbs used on their own rather than mixed. Students came here to learn to tell a genuine medicinal plant from a false one, because a wrong identification could injure or kill a patient. Valuable plants attracted thieves: despite fines, prison and even exile, night raids were frequent, so the garden got a circular enclosing wall. That round wall is still the first thing to notice.

   Because Venice traded with half the known world, plants from those countries kept arriving, and Padua played a leading role in introducing and studying exotic species. A herbarium, a library and laboratories followed. UNESCO listed the garden in 1997 as the original of all botanical gardens, a birthplace of modern botany, medicine, chemistry, ecology and pharmacy.

   Admission is charged. If you love plants or the history of science, go in; if your time is tight and gardens aren't your thing, this is the ticketed stop to drop. From the gate it's 620 metres, about 8 minutes, to Prato della Valle.

   Local name

   Orto botanico di Padova

   Hours

   Tue–Sun and holidays 10:00–19:00 (last admission 18:15), Mon closed

   Price

   10 EUR full price (ages 26-64)

   Website

   ortobotanico1545.it ↗

   Location

   Botanical Garden of Padua on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Prato della Valle

   

   Prato della Valle covers 90,000 square metres in the shape of an ellipse, making it the second largest square in Italy. At its centre lies a green island, the Isola Memmia, ringed by a small canal and two circles of statues. Walk at least part of the way round to take in the size.

   Until 1635 this was a largely featureless, partly swampy stretch outside the old city walls. In 1636 a group of Venetian and Veneto nobles paid for a lavish temporary theatre here for mock battles on horseback. The music that opened those jousts is seen as the direct forerunner of the first public opera performances in Venice, which began the following year.

   In 1767 the land passed from the monks of Santa Giustina to the city. In 1775 Andrea Memmo, whose statue stands in the square, set out to drain and redesign the whole area. He had views of the plan made, including a copper engraving by Francesco Piranesi from 1785, and displayed them at the Venetian embassy in Rome to persuade wealthy figures to sponsor statues. The professor Domenico Cerato approved the project; while Simone Stratico directed the digging for the drainage, workers uncovered the remains of an ancient Roman theatre. The design was never fully completed. Memmo himself lived in the 15th century Palazzo Angeli on the square.

   The square is free and open at all hours. From here you head north for 1060 metres, about 15 minutes, past the Museum of Precinema to the university.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Prato della Valle on Google Maps ↗

6. 6

   University of Padua (Palazzo Bo)

   

   Palazzo Bo, simply 'il Bo' to Paduans, has been the main seat of the University of Padua since 1493. It still houses the rector's office and the law school, as well as the oldest anatomical theatre in the world.

   The university itself is much older. It was founded in 1222 by teachers and students who left the university of Bologna. By the time it moved into the Bo it was already one of Europe's major universities and the Italian university most attended by foreign students.

   The building grew out of three houses owned by the noble Papafava family, one of them known as the Ca' Bianca, the White House; a document of 1493 refers to a 'domus alba'. Before that the houses had a less academic owner: in 1405 Francesco I da Carrara, lord of Padua, gave them to a butcher who had supplied meat during a siege of the city. Over the centuries the complex kept changing, right up to large additions in the fascist period.

   The courtyards and the anatomical theatre are seen on a ticketed visit, guided on weekdays. If medicine, science or university history interests you, it's worth arranging your day around it. Then it's just 230 metres, about 3 minutes, through the market squares of Piazza della Frutta, Sotto il Salone and Piazza delle Erbe to the Palazzo della Ragione.

   Hours

   Guided tours every day except 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January: Mon–Fri 'Historic Tour' (guided only); Sat, Sun and holidays self-guided tour with audio QR codes or guided tours at fixed times; ticket office Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat–Sun and holidays 09:00–18:00

   Website

   unipd.it ↗

   Location

   University of Padua (Palazzo Bo) on Google Maps ↗

7. 7

   Palazzo della Ragione

   

   The Palazzo della Ragione was Padua's town hall and law court above and its market below. Paduans call it il Salone, the big hall. It stands between Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Frutti, was begun in 1172 and finished in 1219. On the ground floor the city's covered market has been trading for 800 years, likely the oldest in the European Union; once it sold food, cloth, spices and jewels, today mostly food and drink.

   The building rests on arches, and its upper floor is wrapped in an open loggia. That loggia inspired the one around the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, half an hour's drive away.

   The great hall on the upper floor is one of the largest medieval halls still standing: not a rectangle but a parallelogram, 81.5 metres long, 27 metres wide and 24 metres high. Originally three roofs covered three separate rooms; in 1306 the Augustinian friar Fra Giovanni, the same man behind the Eremitani ceiling, put the whole building under a single roof. Allegorical frescoes cover every wall.

   Look for two details. On the western side stands a gigantic wooden horse from 1466, modelled on Donatello's Gattamelata outside the Basilica of Saint Anthony. In the northeast corner is the pietra del vituperio, the stone of shame: a black stone stool where insolvent debtors once had to sit in the middle of the hall to be publicly humiliated. The hall is ticketed and well worth it for anyone.

   Piazza dei Signori is only 160 metres away, about 2 minutes.

   Hours

   Tue–Sun 09:00–19:00; closed on non-holiday Mondays, Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day, New Year's Day and 1 May

   Price

   8 EUR; reduced 6 EUR (EU citizens over 65, residents of Padua, groups of 10+); children from 6, minors and students 3 EUR; under 5 free

   Website

   padovanet.it ↗

   Location

   Palazzo della Ragione on Google Maps ↗

8. 8

   Piazza dei Signori

   

   While the market squares around the Salone handled trade and popular festivals, Piazza dei Signori was for centuries the stage for official civic and state celebrations. The famous Clock Tower dominates it. The square was created in the 14th century when Ubertino da Carrara had an old district in front of the church of San Clemente demolished, to show off the tower and open access to the palace he was building on the east side. Tradition says the Carrara lords, the signori, gave the square its name.

   The war between the Carrara and the Visconti damaged the square so badly that the time is remembered as the period of Desolation. Under Venetian rule it came back to life with tournaments, horse displays, mock battles, concerts and music festivals, decorated with temporary architecture for visiting dignitaries. On Shrove Tuesday a bull hunt was held here, and every 17 July the city celebrated the reconquest of Padua in 1509.

   Its name changed with politics. On 9 May 1848 the priest Alessandro Gavazzi renamed it Piazza Pio IX as an anti-Austrian gesture; after unification it became Piazza Unità d'Italia, and only in the fascist era did it get its old name back.

   Look down: the medieval herringbone brick paving was replaced in the 18th century by slabs of Euganean trachyte. Until 1785 a monumental well with marble columns and cannonballs stood at the entrance to the square, where Via Nazario Sauro now begins. It was sealed as unsightly; some parts went to embellish the well on Piazza delle Erbe and the rest was sold for 50 ducats. Today the square hosts the city's morning market and costs nothing to enjoy.

   The Baptistery is 200 metres away, about 3 minutes.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Piazza dei Signori on Google Maps ↗

9. 9

   Baptistery of Padua Cathedral

   

   The Baptistery of Padua Cathedral, dedicated to John the Baptist, stands on Piazza del Duomo right beside the cathedral. Building began in the 12th century, probably on an earlier structure, and the patriarch Guido of Grado consecrated it in 1281.

   Its real story belongs to the Carrara family you just met on Piazza dei Signori. In the 1370s it was remodelled as a mausoleum for Francesco il Vecchio da Carrara and his wife Fina Buzzaccarini. Fina oversaw the decoration herself and gave it to the painter Giusto de' Menabuoi, who covered the walls in 1375 and 1376; his own grave was later found outside the building. When the Carrara fell in 1405, Venetian soldiers smashed the grand tombs and painted over Francesco's many emblems in green.

   The frescoes survived, and they are a masterpiece of the 14th century. Look up into the dome: the Paradise is arranged around Christ Pantocrator, with a mesmerising wheel of angels and saints in many rings, their golden halos glinting like a goldsmith's work, and the Mother of God at the centre. The walls show scenes from the life of John the Baptist, to the left of the entrance, and of Mary and Jesus. Beside the altar you'll find the Crucifixion and the Descent of the Holy Spirit, and on the altar stands a large polyptych, also by Giusto. A full restoration is still awaited.

   Admission is charged. If the Scrovegni Chapel moved you, come in; this is the other great fresco interior of the walk, and much less known. The last leg runs 620 metres, about 9 minutes, to the river.

   Local name

   Battistero di Padova

   Hours

   Mon: visits 14:00–17:30 (every half hour) | Tue–Thu: 10:00–17:30 (every half hour, lunch break 13-14) | Fri–Sun/holidays: 10:00–17:30 (time slots slightly different)

   Price

   15 EUR full price (audio guide visit); variants: 12 EUR reduced, 10 EUR reduced for Padua/diocese residents+UNIPD students, 18 EUR full price guided tour in Italian, 8 EUR full price museum only

   Location

   Baptistery of Padua Cathedral on Google Maps ↗

10. 10

    Ponte Molino

    

    Ponte Molino crosses the Tronco Maestro, a branch of the Bacchiglione river, and it was built between 30 and 40 BC. Restored in the Middle Ages and again in the 19th century, it is one of the oldest structures still carrying traffic. Over it ran the Stra' Maggiore, once the most important street in the city, leading to the Porta Molino gate at its southern end.

    Count the five low stone arches. From the 10th century, floating mills crowded beneath them, which is where the bridge gets its name; at their peak, 33 water wheels turned here. They worked until 1883, when a flood wrecked them and they were torn down. The pointed cutwaters on the piers were added in the 19th century, and in the 13th century the crossing was fortified, as the Torre di Ezzelino still shows.

    Before you leave, look at the largest arch: it carries an 18th century votive shrine with the image of the Madonna dei Molini, the Madonna of the Mills. Like Padua's other Roman bridges it is high, but this one stands out for its span and width. It's free, open at any hour, and a calm place to end. If you want to get back to the Scrovegni Chapel, the GPS navigation guides you there.

    Hours

    Open 24/7

    Price

    Free

    Location

    Ponte Molino on Google Maps ↗

Shorter Ways to Walk Padua

The route splits neatly in two at Prato della Valle, and it also works as a purely outdoor walk if you'd rather not pay any admission.

Giotto, Saint Anthony and the garden

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

For first-timers with half a day: the Scrovegni Chapel, the Eremitani church, the Basilica of Saint Anthony, the Botanical Garden and Prato della Valle. About 30 minutes of walking; the chapel and the garden charge admission, the rest is free. With visits inside, plan around three hours.

The medieval heart

Stops: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

For an afternoon in the old centre: Palazzo Bo, the Palazzo della Ragione, Piazza dei Signori, the Baptistery and Ponte Molino. Only 17 minutes of walking, so most of your time goes into the Bo tour, the Salone and the Baptistery, all three ticketed. Plan around two and a half hours.

Free from end to end

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

For a tight budget: the full route, going inside only the Eremitani church and the Basilica of Saint Anthony and seeing the ticketed sights from outside. Pure walking time stays at 1 h 2 min; with time to look around, about two hours.

How Long This Padua Tour Takes, With and Without the Interiors

The legs add up to 1 h 2 min of pure walking. The two longest are the walk from the Eremitani to the Basilica of Saint Anthony (14 minutes) and the one from Prato della Valle to Palazzo Bo (15 minutes); everything north of the Bo sits only a few minutes apart.

With the Scrovegni Chapel, the basilica, the Botanical Garden, a Bo tour, the Salone and the Baptistery all visited inside, around five and a half hours is realistic. Seen from outside only, the walk takes about two hours. The southern half alone takes around three hours with interiors, the northern half around two and a half.

Before You Set Off in Padua

• Start and finish: The recommended start is the Scrovegni Chapel and the walk ends at Ponte Molino. You can join at any stop; the GPS navigation can take you from the bridge back to the start if you want.
• Book the chapel first: The Scrovegni Chapel works with timed entry and booking is required, so reserve a slot and set your start time around it.
• Time of day: Start in the morning: four of the ticketed interiors come one after another on this route, and you'll want daylight hours to fit them in without rushing.
• Free and ticketed: Free: the Church of the Eremitani, the Basilica of Saint Anthony, Prato della Valle, Piazza dei Signori and Ponte Molino. Ticketed: the Scrovegni Chapel, the Botanical Garden, Palazzo Bo, the upper hall of the Palazzo della Ragione and the Baptistery. Current prices are listed with each stop.

Common Questions About Padua's Sights