padova

true to my wanderlust, i couldn't resist a little day trip to padova this weekend and enjoyed the sunshine. i guess in english you would call this city "padua," but i think "padova" is much nicer to say so i'm going to stick with that. padova is a quaint little town in the veneto region (it's close to venice) and it houses one of the oldest universities in italy (after bologna, of course).

other than the basilica di san antonio, i didn't have a lot on my agenda. the church is gigantic and beautiful. not only is the nave beautiful, but there are several courtyards that glowed with sunlight. i think that a lot of catholics come to this basilica to pray to san antonio, the patron saint of lost things. along with reliquaries and reminants of his tunic from the 13th century, there were altars where people left prayers and photos of loved ones. i'm not catholic, but seeing people's hope and prayers is always touching.

this normally quiet town was particularly quiet because it was a sunday and most everything was closed. the city, however, is cute enough to enjoy just walking around and appreciating its sleepiness.