A look at some cool places from around the world
PADUA, ITALY
Amazing World
PADUA, ITALY If you’re interested in art, architecture and Italian culture, then Padua is the place for you. It’s got more than 3,000 years of history and it’s full of interesting sights and things to do. by Cristiano Righi Inspiration As soon as you get to Padua you’ll see the is the wall that goes around the city. The most interesting parts of the wall include the “Portello Gate” and the “Savonarola Gate”. So where can you start on your journey around Padua? Well, the best place is the Botanical Gardens. It was founded in 1545 as a garden for medical plants. These days it’s part of the “Faculty of Medicine” in The University of Padua. “Il Botanico”, as it is known, is the oldest botanical garden in the world, and has an extremely important collection of rare plants, including a palm tree that was planted in 1585 and that worked as inspiration for the German poet Goethe in the 18th century.
Unofficial Ceremonies “Bo’ Palace” is another good place to visit. It’s basically a large group of buildings which were constructed at the beginning of the 17th century. They were built near a medieval inn called the
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Bo’, which means “ox” in the dialect of the Veneto region. The Bo’ Palace is now the main seat of the university. It’s great for walking around. In the old central square you can also see the rooms with their ancient draperies and paintings. On graduation day at the “Bo’ Palace”, students receive the ancient Roman “crown of laurel” - just like the one that Caesar used to wear. If you are lucky enough to be around when this is happening, you’ll also see the “unofficial” celebration that usually follows the official one. In this “unofficial” ceremony, students play tricks on one another. Here are some of the typical things they do: 1. Undressing a student and watching him walk around the crowded squares begging for money 2. Using cling film to stick a live eel on a student, then throwing the student into one of the fountains; 3. Covering the student in sticky tape and watching him trying to get out of it.
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