Themed visits and special initiatives at Palazzo del Bo
The themed visits are made possible thanks to the support of students and trainees from the VisitUnipd Internship Project and with the support of lecturers from the University of Padua. They make it possible to explore, each time, ever-changing historical and artistic aspects within the palace. They also often benefit from the engaging presence of some goliards, who enrich the explanation with curiosities and anecdotes relating to the Paduan goliardic tradition, its history and its traditions.
The themed visits of Palazzo del Bo are organised on the occasion of special anniversaries and occasions, and therefore are not part of the regular programme of the daily guided tours. To stay updated on the activation of these special routes, you can consult the VisitUnipd social media pages and this page.
An opportunity to discover the cultural sites of Padua Città della Scienza – l’Orto botanico, the Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo and Palazzo del Bo – and to learn about the University’s museum ecosystem, a unique heritage that preserves and recounts the evolution of history and scientific knowledge, which from the 2026/27 school year can also be visited by schools with the integrated ticket.
Programme of guided tours at Palazzo del Bo
The guided tours, in Italian, last 45 minutes.
Friday 2 October 2026
- 3 pm
- 4 pm
Saturday 3 October 2026
- 10 am
- 11 am
- 3 pm
- 4 pm
On Saturday 3 October, it will also be possible to visit Palazzo del Bo independently with free admission, by showing a document certifying teacher status and after collecting a ticket from the ticket office.
Registration is compulsory to take part in the guided tours at Palazzo del Bo via the online form available on this page: https://www.unipd.it/educational-days2026
Wednesday 2 September 2026 Palazzo del Bo and the Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo are offering a special evening guided tour that brings the history of science into dialogue with contemporary research.
The tour begins at Palazzo del Bo, with a visit to the Anatomical Theatre, the Aula Magna and the Hall of the Forty, symbolic places in the birth of the modern scientific method. It then continues at the Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo with the exhibition The Earth is blue like an orange. The mystery of research, where the earliest anatomical images enter into dialogue with representations of research today.
An itinerary spanning five centuries of science, linking the historical heritage of the University of Padua with the frontiers of contemporary research.
Evening guided tour slots organised for the summer solstice: an alternative way to celebrate the solstice inside the old Hospitium Bovis. The tour "Solstitium Bovis", in the footsteps of Copernico and Galileo, explores and uncovers those spaces and stories that tell us about astronomy and the stars...
The appointment is on Friday 19 June 2026, with 4 tour slots: at 20.30, 21, 21.30 and 22 (duration of each tour: approximately 60 minutes).
The special ticket for the "Solstitium Bovis" event costs 13 euros, while it is free for children aged between 0 and 5.
On the anniversary of the graduation of Elena Lucrezia Cornaro (25 June 1678), the first woman in the world to graduate, we are offering, on Thursday 25 June 2026, a new edition of the guided thematic tour dedicated to women’s presence in Palazzo del Bo. There are two scheduled tour times, at 13:00 and 17:00.
Special ticket price: 4 euro, free for children aged between 0 and 5, and for the entire academic community.
This thematic guided tour at Palazzo del Bo is particularly aimed at international students.
The tour explores the stories of those who, over the centuries, coming from all over the world, have contributed to the University's international identity. Passing through significant spaces such as the Cortile Antico and the Sala dei Quaranta, the tour touches on themes of mobility, exchange and academic traditions. A short interactive activity is also scheduled to discover some of the international figures represented, including William Harvey and Johann Georg Wirsung.
The tour is led by students and trainees from the Stage VisitUniPD project of the Public engagement Office.
The appointment is on Monday 18 May 2026 with two possible tour slots, at 1 p.m. and at 4 p.m.
The tour is held in English and is free of charge for Unipd students.
Booking is compulsory by calling the Booking Centre on 049 8273939 (open every day from 9:00 to 17:00) or by writing to tour@unipd.it.
Meeting point: Cortile Antico of Palazzo del Bo, five minutes before the start of the tour (please stop by the ticket office first to collect your ticket).
The thematic route is dedicated to discovering some of the most important figures in our recent history, such as Egidio Meneghetti, Primo Visentin, the sisters Teresa and Lidia Martini… through a route winding among historical documents and works of art: Palinuro by Arturo Martini, Resistenza e Liberazione by Jannis Kounellis, Partigiana Veneta by Leoncillo Leonardi.
The event takes place on Monday 20 April 2026 with two visiting slots, at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. It is open to all citizens with a special reduced event ticket of 4 euros; participation is free for Unipd students and staff.
Booking is compulsory: Booking Centre 049 8273939 (every day 9 a.m.–5 p.m.) - tour@unipd.it
This tour, which goes up to the third floor of Palazzo del Bo, is not served by lifts or stairlifts and is therefore accessible only on foot.
This is a thematic visit dedicated to female figures who have distinguished themselves in the history of the University, and to their iconography. The tour aims to create an alternative narrative of the history of the University and its historic seat, highlighting the importance of the female presence.
The visit generally takes place on 8 March, International Women’s Day, or on the occasion of other special anniversaries
Starting from the oldest rooms, it is possible to discover the history of the University of Padua as a centre of legal studies, retracing the stories of illustrious scholars who distinguished themselves in the field of law, and beyond, such as Michel de l'Hospital or Francis Walsingham.
In 1222, the Paduan University was in fact founded as a university of legal studies, Universitas Iuristarum, and only in 1399 did the Universitas Artistarum officially come into being: the university devoted to medicine, philosophy, literary disciplines...
This is a guided tour in the footsteps of illustrious physicians who, over the centuries, have brought great prestige to the University of Padua and made essential contributions to the development of medical science.
A wonderful opportunity to explore in greater depth certain topics that it is not always possible to examine during the daily guided tours. Visitors will be able to follow the medical and academic stories and the lives of the great professors who made the Paduan medical school immortal: Pietro d’Abano, Girolamo Fabrici d’Acquapendente, Andrea Vesalio, Giovanni Battista Morgagni and many others.
Tracce di Cinema is a themed guided tour that takes visitors on a journey to discover those films that, over the years, have featured Palazzo del Bo as a true film set.
It is an alternative way to experience once again the rooms of the historic seat of our University through the eyes and cameras of directors.
The route is dedicated to the discovery of symbols, frescoes, signs, traditions and legends that have always linked student life and goliardic traditions to Palazzo del Bo.
This is a themed tour dedicated to the darker and more unsettling aspects of Palazzo del Bo.
The tour requires advance booking and is generally held on 31 October.
Call centre; booking centre: +39 049827.3939
Every day, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
tour@unipd.it
The tele-inclusive tour with robotic support allows the “virtual” visitor to take a guided tour of the spaces of Palazzo del Bo, enabling them to follow the route remotely by means of a robot which, operated by expert staff, follows the guide and moves through the rooms on behalf of the virtual tourist.
A tour dedicated to recounting the historical events that led to the birth of our Republic.
Palazzo del Bo was, in those difficult moments that preceded 2 June 1946, a place of exceptional importance and an incubator of new ideas of freedom.
The visit is generally held on the occasion of the anniversaries of 25 April or 2 June.
A journey into the past between the 3rd and 7th centuries, discovering the transformations of Palazzo del Bo, the historic seat of the University of Padua.
The tour takes place en plein air among the loggias of the palace's ancient courtyard, and the architectural, sculptural and pictorial works themselves will suggest the narrative of their history.
The route is dedicated to the discovery of the graduation halls at Palazzo del Bo. A way to appreciate, in addition to the Halls of Medicine and Law, the Halls of Science and Letters, which for some time have no longer been graduation venues but certainly deserve to be seen and appreciated.
This visit route goes up to the third floor of Palazzo del Bo and is not served by lifts or stairlifts (therefore it can only be reached on foot).
Information
Every day (9 a.m.–5 p.m.): 049 827 3939 - tour@unipd.it
Tickets
The themed visits are not part of the regular tour schedule. The possibility of arranging these special slots must be checked with the booking centre. The cost per group (max. 30 participants) is 50 euros, in addition to the admission ticket.
The guided visit via tele-inclusive tour, with robotic support, costs 60 euros (with no admission fees).
Public engagement Office
Call centre; booking centre: +39 049827.3939
Every day, 9-17
tour@unipd.it