Padova, Italy

Padova

(Or Padua. Italians like to have multiple names for tax purposes)

A short train ride from Venice through the Italian countryside brings one to the beautiful university town of Padova. Legend has it the city was established in 1183 BC, and Padova maintains that it is the oldest in northern Italy, but calls from the Trump administration for a legitimate birth certificate have cast a shadow on this claim. On thing that is for sure is that Padova hosts the second oldest university in Italy. Founded in 1222, the university has hosted famous alumni such as Galileo, the famous puppeteer and father Pinocchio, and the author Dante, who started as an English major but then switched to music after realizing that even he didn't want to read his own Inferno.

Below is a pic of a really old door. No one is sure what is behind it as it is too heavy to open.

One of the many, many huge and beautiful Catholic churches scattered throughout Italy. They are a feast for the eyes and full of history, though I wouldn't recommend sending your son there for boys camp.

Padova is full of ascetic looking, narrow streets which make dodging speeding vespa scooters fun and challenging for pedestrians.

Padova is loaded with awesome squares where you can sit back with a good vino and respect the minds of all the attractive coeds that stroll by. The centerpiece of the square below, the Piazza dei Siginore, is a clock tower designed by famed watch maker, Swatch. Ringing every hour on the hour, it provides a subtle reminder of the amount of quality time you spend watching life go by.

Below is one of the entrances to my favorite square yet in Europe, Prato della Valle. Well lit, ringed with statues and containing a mild aroma of ganj in the air, it was one of the first of many places that made me realize I have no desire to move back to America. It also helps that they still have Foot Lockers (above) over here. If I ever stumble across a Kenny's shoes, I may give up my US citizenship and move here for good. 

Someone who actually knows how to work a camera could probably get a better pic of this fountain, but hopefully you get the idea of what a nice fountain it was.

Surrounding the Prato della Valle are statutes depicting famous Italians in poses that commemorate their accomplishments. Below is Mario Mano up Culo, the inventor of the ventriloquist dummy. When dining out, Signore Culo was famous for ordering a meal for himself and then bringing one home for his beloved dummy, a practice immortalized by the Buy One, Take One deal at Italy's most acclaimed export, Olive Garden.

A statue of Luigi Hiesman, whose famous pose inspired the American collegiate trophy awarded to the college football player who most deserved to be in, but managed to avoid, prison while in school. The now well-know pose was first struck after Luigi discovered an extra meatball in his create your own pasta bowl from the most famous of Italian eateries, Olive Garden.

Though the Los del Rio is credited with the song, the Machrana dance originated from Signore Mario Girevole Fianchi below. Legend has it that he first performed the jig after receiving the news that he had been accepted into one of the most prestigious institutes of higher learning in the country, Olive Garden's Culinary Institute of Tuscany.

Have you ever wondered why many medieval depictions of Italian men show them with long hair? Well, neither have I. But a little known fact is that hair was once cut using a chisel and small hammer resulting in heavy scarring on Italian scalps. The statute below represents the last such hair appointment, by Signore Oliva Giardino, before Marco Polo brought back the invention of scissors from china, where Hair Cuttery salons had been in operation since the early Dong dynasty.