Padua

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Padua Padova (Italian) Pàdova / Pàdoa / Pàoa (Venetian)
Comune
Città di Padova
Prato della Valle Abbey of Santa Giustina Clock Tower in Piazza dei Signori Interior of Scrovegni Chapel Padua Cathedral Palazzo della Ragione Botanical Garden of Padua
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Padua
Padua Location of Padua in Italy Show map of Italy Padua Padua (Veneto) Show map of Veneto
Coordinates: 45°25′N 11°52′E / 45.417°N 11.867°E / 45.417; 11.867
Country	Italy
Region	Veneto
Province	Padua (PD)
Frazioni	Altichiero, Arcella, Bassanello, Brusegana, Camin, Chiesanuova, Forcellini, Guizza, Mandria, Montà, Mortise, Paltana, Ponte di Brenta, Ponterotto, Pontevigodarzere, Sacra Famiglia, Salboro, Stanga, Terranegra, Volta Brusegana
Government
• Mayor	Sergio Giordani (PD)
Area [1]
• Total	92.85 km2 (35.85 sq mi)
Elevation	12 m (39 ft)
Population  (31 October 2011)[2]
• Total	214,125
• Density	2,300/km2 (6,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Padovano Patavino
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	35100
Dialing code	049
Patron saint	Saint Anthony of Padua
Saint day	June 13
Website	www.comune.padova.it

Padua (/ˈpædjuə/ PAD-ew-ə; Italian: Padova [ˈpaːdova] ^ⓘ; Venetian: Pàdova, Pàdoa or Pàoa) is a city and comune (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Venice and 29 km (18 miles) southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 214,000 (as of 2011^[update]). It is also the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE) which has a population of around 2,600,000.

Besides the Bacchiglione, the Brenta River, which once ran through the city, still touches the northern districts. Its agricultural setting is the Venetian Plain. To the city's south west lies the Euganaean Hills, which feature in poems by Lucan, Martial, Petrarch, Ugo Foscolo, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Padua has two UNESCO World Heritage List entries: its Botanical Garden, which is the world's oldest, and its 14th-century frescoes, situated in buildings in the city centre.^[3] An example is the Scrovegni Chapel painted by Giotto at the beginning of 1300.

Padua is home to one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Padua, founded in 1222 and where figures such as Galileo Galilei and Nicolaus Copernicus taught or studied. In 1610, Galileo observed the moons of Jupiter through a homemade telescope in Padua, marking the second phase of the Copernican Revolution. Today, the university has around 72,000 students and has a profound impact on the city's recreational, artistic and economic activities.