The central part of the city consists of three squares – Piazza della Frutta, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signiori. The symbol of the city - the magnificent Palace of Reason – is also located here. The palace was built in the 15th century. One of the halls of the palace is decorated with beautiful frescoes created by the famous medieval masters Stefano da Ferrara and Nicolo Miretto. A large gallery is opened in the palace. This place is known for wonderful views of the town. You will find shops of merchants who offer wide selection of goods on each of the squares of Padova. As it comes from the names of the squares, Piazza della Frutta is the location of a large fruit market, while the others sell mainly souvenirs and handcrafts.
Not far away from the squares is located one more place of interest - one of the oldest schools in Europe - Padova University. It was founded in 1222; Galileo himself taught in the walls of this university, as well as many other famous physicists and mathematicians. If eight centuries ago the number of students of the university was approximately 500 students, today their number exceeds 63 thousands.
Cappella degli Scrovegni is one of the main cultural sights of this town. The chapel is decorated with frescoes by Giotto. Since the building is very old and requires careful approach, the excursion to the chapel lasts 15 minutes only. The number of visitors that can enter the premises at the same time is also severely restricted. Such measures are necessary in order to maintain the climate within the building. Any change of it may destroy the works of art.
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