Attractions

Festivals & Markets

The beloved Sant'Antonio is celebrated with a feast day on June 13, when his relics are carried about town in an elaborate procession joined in by the thousands of pilgrims who come from all over the world.

The outdoor markets (Mon-Sat) in the twin Piazza delle Erbe (for fresh produce) and Piazza della Frutta (dry goods) that flank the enormous Palazzo della Ragione are some of Italy's best. The third Sunday of every month sees the area of the Prato delle Valle inundated by more than 200 antiques and collectibles dealers, one of the largest antiques and collectibles fairs in the region. Only early birds will beat the large number of local dealers to the worm.

Antiques lovers with a car might want to visit Italy's second-largest Mercato dell'Antiquariato at the 18th-century Villa Contarini (in Piazzola sul Brenta, a lovely 30-min. drive that can be combined with visiting some of the other Palladian and Palladian-inspired country villas along the Brenta Canal), held the last Sunday of every month. There, an estimated 350 vendors hawk their wares; the villa is open for visits during those hours.

A Pilgrimage for the Absent Minded

Giotto's frescoes attract art lovers and the city's university students, but pilgrims of another ilk have long secured Padua's place on the map. For more than 700 years, the enormous Basilica di Sant'Antonio has drawn millions from around the world. A mendicant Franciscan monk born in Lisbon, Antonio spent his last years in Padua. He died here in 1231, was canonized almost immediately, and the basilica -- a fantastic mingling of Romanesque, Byzantine, and Gothic styles -- was begun within a year.

St. Anthony is one of the Roman Catholic Church's most beloved saints -- and one of Italy's most popular namesakes -- universally known for his powers to locate lost keys or sunglasses, lost causes, lost everything. Countless handwritten messages left in a kind of mailbox in the side of his tomb within the church call upon this power to help find everything from lost love to lost limbs. For example, I lost something rather important in Padua -- my annotated copy of this book! A quick visit to St. Anthony did the trick: When I left the church and switched my cellphone back on, I received a call from the cafe where I had been that morning. The proprietor had found the missing book.

Both the church and the miracle worker are simply referred to as "il Santo," and the church warrants a visit for its artistic treasures and architectural importance as well as for its religious significance.