Prato della Valle

Prato della Valle, one of the symbols of Padova, is a large elliptical square which, in addition to being the largest square in Padua, is one of the largest in Europe (88620 m2), second only to the Red Square in Moscow.

The square is actually a large monumental space characterized by a central green island, called Isola Memmia, in honor of the podestà who commissioned the works, surrounded by a canal adorned with a double base of numbered statues of famous figures of the past who according to the original plan there were to be 88.
Today we can observe, however, only 78 statues with 8 pedestals surmounted by obelisks and 2 empty ones.

Four avenues cross the Prato on small bridges, and then meet in the center of the islet.

The arrangement draws inspiration from the great Venetian tradition of the patrician garden; here for the first time this was diverted from private use and proposed, according to neoclassical concepts, as an urban planning solution and environmental qualification.

City: Padova
Distance from the house: 40 km
Travel time: 1 hour