The Orto Botanico of Padua was founded in 1545 by the university, which needed a place to grow medicinal plants for the study of medicine, and it is the oldest university botanical garden in the world still in its original location. Its layout has hardly changed in nearly five centuries: a circular wall enclosing a square divided into quarters, with geometric flowerbeds, fountains and gates, a symbolic representation of the world. One of its most famous inhabitants is a palm tree planted in 1585, known as Goethe's palm because the poet studied it during his Italian journey in 1786 and drew from it ideas about the metamorphosis of plants. The garden was listed by UNESCO in 1997, and a modern greenhouse, the Garden of Biodiversity, now sits beside the historic garden, showing plants from different climates around the world.
Padua is a university city, and it feels young and lively, with students filling the squares in the evenings for a spritz. The university, founded in 1222, is one of the oldest in Europe; Galileo taught here, and the anatomy theatre where students watched dissections is still there in the Palazzo del Bo. A short walk from the garden, the Basilica of Saint Anthony draws pilgrims from all over the world, and the Prato della Valle, an enormous elliptical square surrounded by a canal and statues, is one of the largest squares in Europe. The Scrovegni Chapel, painted by Giotto in the early fourteenth century, is the city's supreme treasure; visits are timed and must be booked ahead.
Riding in Padua is like riding in most Italian cities: chaotic, with trams, cyclists and scooters everywhere, and restricted traffic zones in the historic centre where unauthorised vehicles are fined by camera. Park outside the centre and walk.
The best riding is to the southwest, in the Euganean Hills, a group of volcanic hills rising abruptly from the plain about twenty kilometres away. The roads wind around and over them, through vineyards, chestnut woods and medieval villages like Arquà Petrarca, where the poet Petrarch spent his last years. The surface is generally good, the bends are tight and frequent, and the views over the plain are lovely. Spa towns like Abano Terme sit at the foot of the hills.
Padua has fuel, garages and all services. Try the bigoli, thick pasta, and a glass of wine from the Euganean Hills.