(Padova), a city in northern Italy, in the region of Veneto. Capital of the province of Padua. Population, 231,200 (1971).
An important transportation junction, Padua is connected with the Adriatic Sea by canal. Local industries produce synthetic fibers. A diversified machine-building industry produces machine tools, instruments, bicycles, agricultural machinery, and motors. Padua also has electrotechnic, food-processing, footwear, garment, furniture, woodworking, paper, and printing industries. It is host to a yearly international fair. There is a university in the city (from 1222).
According to the Roman historian Livy, the first historical mention of Padua (Patavium) dates from the fourth century B.C. In A.D. 601, Padua was almost completely destroyed by the Lombards, but it was rebuilt shortly thereafter. At the beginning of the 12th century it became a commune. In the 13th century it was an important center for handicrafts and trade, and yearly fairs drew people from all of Italy. In the beginning of the 14th century the rule of the Carrara family was established in Padua. Their authority was temporarily usurped by the La Scala and Visconti families. From 1405 to 1797, Padua was part of the Venetian Republic. In the 15th to 17th centuries, it was a major cultural center. P. Pomponazzi, A. Vesalius, and Galileo taught at Padua’s university, which enjoyed widespread fame in Europe. After 1797 the city was alternately under the control of Austria and France. In 1813 the domination of the Austrian Hapsburgs was established; it was consolidated by the Congress of Vienna in 1814–1815. In 1866, Padua became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Padua has the remains of ancient Roman tombs, bridges, an amphitheater, and a forum. During the Renaissance, the city became a major art center, attracting the artists Giotto (frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel), Donatello, Mantegna, and Titian (frescoes in the Scuola del Santo). The Piazza del Santo is the site of the Basilica di Sant’ Antonio (Il Santo, begun 1231) and Donatello’s equestrian statue of the Condottiere Gattamelata (1447–53; bronze, marble, and limestone). Padua has the spectacular Palazzo della Ragione (1215–1306), and the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (16th century, architect Andrea da Valle). Museums in Padua include the Civic Museum (mainly 15th- to 19th-century paintings and sculptures), the Museum of Sant’ Antonio (art works from the church and monastery of Sant’ Antonio), and the Bottacin Museum (numismatic and archaeological collections).