Padua is home to the second oldest university in Italy and the sixth in the world. It was founded in 1222 and has had a very important history for world-wide discoveries that have taken place over the centuries, making Padua the scientific capital of the world between 1400 and 1800.

Already in the 11th century there were masters and doctors of law who taught theology and law, whose sources date back to Roman times. The teachings were given in the homes of private citizens or in monasteries.

In the 13th century, students and professors migrated from nearby Bologna (the first university in the world). Thus, starting from 1222, a permanent university organization began. The fame of the new Padua firm grew rapidly and attracted foreign teachers and students from various parts of Europe such as France, Spain, Germany, England and Poland.

The sixteenth century was characterized by some important initiatives that helped to reaffirm the University of Padua as the most advanced in scientific research and its structures. We refer to the foundation of the Botanical Garden (1545), the first in the world, and the construction of the Anatomical Theater (1595), the first in the world that allowed the University to be at the forefront of medical science. It was used until the end of the 19th century and is an elliptical wooden structure with 6 turns.

The chair of Galileo is still present in the room of the 40s.

In the centuries the greatest scientific discoveries were made in Padua (from astronomy to botany to surgery) this is because the Venetian Republic guaranteed maximum freedom of speech and expression. It was the only state in the world where one was truly free and the influence of the Church in the state was zero. Students and professors were protected from the abuses of the inquisitors who condemned anyone who demonstrated religious ideas that did not conform to the church. In fact, even Galileo was arrested when he left the Venetian Republic. Over the course of its long history, the University of Padua was a meeting place for some of the most important European and Italian personalities, among whose ranks there are figures of the caliber of Leon Battista Alberti, Nicolò Copernico and Melchiorre Cesarotti. From 1592 for 18 consecutive years (defined by the person concerned as the best of his life), Galileo Galilei held the chair of mathematics at the University of Padua.

It should be remembered that on June 25, 1678 the first woman in the world graduated: Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia.
At the University of Padua, which was the only one in Europe to accept students of the Hebrew religion, the presence of foreign students was also favored for the use of Latin as a lingua franca. German students were the largest group, and among other things they had the freedom to adhere to the Protestant cult and graduate without converting to the Catholic faith, as prescribed by a papal bull.

From the very beginning, the University of Padua was established as "Universitas scholarium", a free corporation of schoolchildren who entered into a contract with their teachers. The contract provided for a reciprocal bond: the teachers would transfuse their knowledge to the students who for their part undertook to pay them. The teachers were readers: they held lessons by reading and commenting on classical texts and soliciting their interpretation by the pupils. These were grouped into "nationes" according to their geographical origin.

The recent graduate received a doctoral cap, a gold ring and an academic kiss from his teacher. For his part, the student had to bear several expenses: to pay the professors present at the ceremony, the banquets for the celebrations and also togas, caps, rings and gloves to give to the bishop, to the speakers and to the various teachers. Gifts were also provided for housekeepers.

Today the celebrations on the occasion of graduation are very different, after the discussion of the thesis the graduate is the victim of jokes and jokes by his friends and relatives. A laurel wreath is placed around his neck and in front of his acquaintances he must read "the papyrus" a poster on which appears his caricature and the jokingly vulgar account of his life, especially his university years. To the rhythm of the song “Dottore! Dottore! Dottore del buso del culo, Vaffancul Vaffancul!!" the poor graduate is generally subjected to the pranks his friends want to play. The celebrations on graduation day symbolize the end of the "good life as a student" and the beginning of a new life, the more serious and less playful working life!

As for the Palazzo del Bò, the historic seat of the university, the words "Gymnasium omnium disciplinarum" are evident on the main facade above the imposing door.
The date MDCI (1601) and the lion of San Marco are evidence of the Venetian Republic. From the porch you enter an atrium with walls full of sculpted and painted coats of arms. They recall the power exercised by rectors and collaborators. The atrium is closed by an iron gate surmounted by a lunette in which the virgin is placed in the center, Saint Catherine patron saint of jurists and Saint Thomas patron saint of artists, on the sides.
The area of ​​the ancient courtyard was initially occupied by the hotel "al Bo", hence the name (Bo 'is diminutive of "Bove" = Ox).
The hotel had the skull of an ox in its sign, was famous throughout Europe and hosted nobles and prominent personalities passing through the city. It was located in the district of the "Beccherie" (which means "butchers" - today Via Cesare Battisti).
Several changes were made to transform this hotel into a building suitable for housing the primitive "Scole". The work is attributed to the architect Andrea Moroni. But not all scholars agree, there are those who believe that the school belongs to Sansovino.
In any case, this courtyard represents an important testimony of the Paduan Renaissance. On the architrave in front of the gate you can read "1552", the year in which the eastern side of the colonnade was restructured.
Among many things, inside the University it is important to remember the presence of:

  • the anatomical theater built in 1594 and used until the end of the 19th century: wooden structure with an elliptical shape with 6 turns
  • the chair of Galilei from which the latter taught physics
  • the statue of Elena Cornaro Piscopia, the first woman to graduate in the world at the end of 1600


Over the course of its long history, the University of Padua was a meeting place for some of the most important European and Italian personalities, among whose ranks are the likes of Leon Battista Alberti, Galileo Galilei, Nicolò Copernico, Melchiorre Cesarottie Pietro Martire Vermigli, William Harvey (the first scientist to accurately describe the human circulatory system and the properties of the blood pumped from the heart throughout the body), Tasso, Casanova, Vallisnieri, Vesalio (father of modern anatomy), Girolamo Fabrici d ' Acquapendente (he had the anatomical theater built), Gian Battista Morgagni (founder of pathological anatomy), Roberto Ardigò (Father of Italian positivism), Malacarne (founder of surgical anatomy), Sant'Alberto Magno, Vittorino da Feltre (founder of pedagogy), Pietro Bembo, Paolo Sarpi and many others no less important!

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