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Guided tours to Bo
Originally, the site of the historical seat of the University was occupied by an inn, at the ¿sign of the Ox¿ (Bo), which had been given to a butcher by Francesco da Carrara, Lord of Padua, in repayment for the meat supplied during the 1405 siege of the city. In 1539 the building became the property of the University, and ever since then it has housed the main seat of the Institute, though the name by which it is familiarly known has maintained that reference to the "sign of the Ox".
One enters through the Atrio degli Eroi ("Atrium of Heroes") - on the left is the staircase leading to Rettorato (Rector's Office) - and there pass by plaques commemorating the Padua University students who have died in the various conflicts in which Italy has been involved - from the 1848 War of Independence to the Second World War; the statue of Aeneas's helmsman, Palinurus, was in fact raised in commemoration of the University's role in the Resistance, for which it won the Gold Medal for Valour. On the the staircase and surrounding walls are works by Giò Ponti, depicting the birth and development of humanity, culture and science.
Nearby is the Old Courtyard built by Andrea Moroni, where the double loggia is decorated with the heraldic devices of students who have studied at the University; the statue at the foot of one of the staircases is of Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, the first woman in the world to gain a university degree - here in Padua itself, where she graduated in Philosphy in 1678.
From the back of this Old Courtyard, one passes into that designed by the architect Fagioli, where the distinctive feature is an alto-relievo by Attilio Selva that commemorates the courage of the University's students.
Since 1995, the entrance hall here has contained a wooden sculpture by Kounellis which was raised in memory of three great professors of the University - the Rector Marchesi, and Meneghetti and Franceschini ¿ who, in spite of all the political differences between them, were united in their stand against the Fascist regime.
From the gallery of the Old Courtyard, one passes into the Sala dei 40 (Hall of the 40), the old "Aula Magna" (Main Assembly Hall) of the university; its name comes from the portraits of some of the great foreign students who have studied at Padua. In this room there is Galileo Galilei's desk, which once stood in the"scuola grande dei leggisti" (the present-day Aula Magna), where he used to teach. The "Aula Magna" is richly decorated with original heraldic devices and stucco-work by Tommasini.
The old "Anatomy Theatre" is very atmospheric; built at the behest of G.F. D'Acquapendente in 1594, it was actually the first permanent anatomy theatre in the world. Originally, in fact, even this theatre had been dismantled at the end of the anatomy courses, and the structure that preceded this final theatre dated back to 1583. As it stands now, the elliptical theatre has six tiers and contains seating for more than three hundred people.
In the centre there is the autopsy table at which the professor used to teach, dissecting corpses which, at the end of the lesson, would be dumped into the river that runs under the building. Among the various important figures who taught in this room was Giovanbattista Morgagni, the father of modern anatomy and professor of medicine at Padua from 1711 to 1771.
Info: Ceremonial and Events
via VIII Febbraio, 2 - 35122 Padova
phone: +39 049 8273044 - fax: +39 049 8273051
e-mail:
cerimoniale@unipd.it
Guided tours
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