Elena Cornaro Piscopia<\/a><\/strong> graduated here, the first woman in history to obtain a university degree.<\/p>\n\nFrom medieval inn to heart of the University<\/h2>\n\n The name \u201cBo\u201d always arouses curiosity. Where does it come from?Hospitium Bovis<\/strong>, the \u201cInn of the Ox\u201d, named after the sign bearing an ox skull (\u201cbovis\u201d is \u201cbo\u201d<\/em> in local dialect). <\/p>\n\n
The bucranium, symbol of the University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nIt was a good-quality inn, with attached stables, frequented by travellers and merchants. In 1405 it was donated to a butcher by Francesco I da Carrara to thank him for the meat he had offered to soldiers and citizens during the siege, and in 1539<\/strong> it was purchased by the University, which demolished the building to construct Palazzo del Bo.The bucranium, the ox skull<\/strong>, thus became the symbol of the University and of its lively student traditions. <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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What to see during a visit to Palazzo del Bo<\/h2>\n\n Visiting Palazzo del Bo is like stepping into a living, breathing history book.<\/p>\n\n
The Old Courtyard (Cortile Antico)<\/h3>\n\n An elegant 16th\u2011century cloister designed by Andrea Moroni<\/strong>, with a double loggia and walls completely decorated with the coats of arms of rectors and councillors of the time.<\/p>\n\nThe Great Hall (Aula Magna)<\/h3>\n\n Solemn and full of atmosphere, with a ceiling frescoed by Carlini in 1854 and portraits of four symbolic figures of the University: Emo, Zabarella, Galileo Galilei, and Morgagni<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\nThe Hall of the Forty (Sala dei Quaranta)<\/h3>\n\n Here stands Galileo\u2019s original chair<\/strong>, from which he taught mathematics and physics between 1592 and 1610. On the walls are portraits of forty illustrious foreign students. <\/p>\n\n\nThe Old Courtyard (Cortile Antico)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Great Hall (Aula Magna)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Hall of the Forty with Galileo\u2019s chair<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\nThe Anatomical Theatre<\/h3>\n\n A real gem: the first anatomical theatre in the world<\/strong>, made of wood, with an elliptical structure and tiered seats. From here, medical students could watch the dissection of cadavers. An extraordinary testament to th scientific daring of Renaissance Padua. <\/p>\n\nThe Medicine Hall<\/h3>\n\n With portraits of former professors, Futurist frescoes by Achille Funi<\/strong> and a display case containing the skulls of eminent scholars who donated their bodies to science.<\/p>\n\nThe \u201cBasilica\u201d Hall<\/h2>\n\n The \u201cBasilica\u201d hall owes its name to its division into three naves, separated by two rows of columns painted in Pompeian red, the official colour of the University.<\/p>\n\n\nThe Anatomical Theatre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Medicine Hall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe “Basilica”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\nThe New Courtyard and contemporary art<\/h2>\n\n From the Old Courtyard you reach the New Courtyard<\/strong>, designed by architect Fagiuoli<\/strong>, where history and contemporary art engage in dialogue. Here you can find: <\/p>\n\n\nThe Stairway of Knowledge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\nthe bas-relief by Attilio Selva<\/strong> celebrating student courage<\/li>\n\n\n\nthe famous Scala del Sapere<\/strong> (Stairway of Knowledge) designed by Gio Ponti<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\nthe stele by Gio Pomodoro<\/strong> dedicated to Galileo<\/li>\n\n\n\nan installation by Jannis Kounellis<\/strong> commemorating the Resistance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nDuring the Second World War, Palazzo del Bo in fact hosted the Veneto CLN (National Liberation Committee)<\/strong>, paying a very high price in the lives of students and professors.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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One last ritual: the \u201cPolifonico\u201d at Mario\u2019s<\/h2>\n\n
Before leaving, there is one final must-do stop:Bar da Mario<\/strong>, where you can taste the legendary \u201cPolifonico<\/strong>\u201d, the aperitif of the paduan students\u2019 tradition.<\/p>\n\nThe recipe is secret and jealously guarded.hen to the Rector<\/strong> at the opening of the academic year.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
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Palazzo del Bo: why should you visit it?<\/h2>\n\n Palazzo del Bo is not just a historic building: it is the symbol of Padua as a city of knowledge, freedom and openness.
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