During the celebrations, those arriving in the city have a clear understanding that the University is 800 years old: we are setting up “800” elements in the city, such as billboards, banners and urban display panels, strategically located at points of interest in the city and university campuses.
Unipd has added a touch of colour to the city, creating points of interest to meet and exchange ideas because only through dialogue can a future of justice, equality and opportunity be built. The decorative elements are symbolic links to the identity of the University, thanks to the use of eco-sustainable graffiti and its zero environmental impact. The four districts (Arcella, Guizza, Portello, and Sacra Famiglia) cover four thematic areas divided into a calendar of events for the eight hundredth anniversary based on the values and history of the University. The decorative elements on via del Portello are an emblem of art inspired by the light fixtures designed by Gio Ponti found in Palazzo del Bo. The armillary sphere, located in Piazzale Firenze, represents science and the scientific discoveries that have built upon the history of the University. Nature is the protagonist of Piazzale Cuoco, a place where the geometric designs divide the quarters of the Botanical Garden that have become the basis that illustrates the square. But all of this would not have been possible without the ideas and the freedom to express them, which are represented in Largo Debussy by the symbolic elements of the University seal.
Complementary to the communicative advertising actions in the city, the use of dynamic advertising spaces in the city and the regional territory (bus circuit, flower boxes, tram stop, etc.) increase awareness and participation from residents and visitors.
In addition, thanks to the placement of historical information signs, fixed to the poles of Padua’s streets, the street names became a tool to recount (in both Italian and English) the lives of the protagonists who made the history of the University of Padua through their studies and discoveries.
The recognizable “800” stands out on the red color that distinguishes the University’s identity; next to it there is the new payoff associated with Unipd: “Libera il tuo futuro” – “Free your Future“. The coined expression refers to the origins summarized by the University’s motto “Universa Universis Patavina Libertas” and to the opening of broad horizons guaranteed by daily and secular exercise of freedom of thought and expression in teaching and research activities of the University.
