The Chiesa di San Luca Evangelista is located on Via XX Settembre, and dates from 1320.  Closed in 1807 under Napoleonic laws, it was reopened in 1815, and today, it is the parish of the Greek Catholic community in Padua.  In 1655, Bartolomeo Cristofori, the famous harpsichord maker, and the inventor of the fortepiano (the first version of today’s modern piano), was baptized here, as a plaque on the facade commemorates.

A plaque on the facade of a building marks the spot where Renato Otello Pighin, an Italian engineer who joined the Venetian Resistance, was arrested.  He would later be tortured and killed.  For his services in the war, he was awarded a Gold Medal for Military Valor.

The Istituto Barbarigo is a high school that was founded in 1919.  During WWII, the school was used by members of the Resistance, as a warehouse for weapons and explosives.  Because of this, numerous professors and priests were arrested and tortured by the German forces.  In 1992, the school formed the Scuola d’Arpa, which has evolved today into the Floriana Musical Ensemble, the world’s largest harp orchestra.

For me, there is nothing better than sitting in a lovely piazza, at sundown, enjoying a negroni sbagliato, a negroni made with prosecco instead of gin.

For dinner, we dined al fresco (outside) at Attimi, a Japanese fusion restaurant, which was just down the street from our apartment.  It was delicious!

 

Next up: On our second day in Padua, we tour the university, as well as other wonderful places!

 

Note: This blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations that may appear.  If you have enjoyed this post, please, check out our archives for more posts from Padua, as well as other Italian destinations.  Grazie!