While the activities of professors and students in the city of Padua began in 1222, at this time, there were no set schedules or facilities to hold lessons. Makeshift classrooms grew in the heart of the medieval city thanks to the generosity of local religious institutions and accommodations offered by teachers themselves. The construction of Palazzo Bo began in the mid-sixteenth century as the heart of the Patavium romana. The incorporation of pre-existing structures made the monumental site worthy as a stadium by the Venetian State. Masterpieces of the sixteenth century, ranging from the Anatomical Theatre to the Botanical Gardens, are a reflection of the intellectuals, humanists, and scientists who shaped them. After Italy’s unification in 1861, the University resumed its expansion within the city walls, occupying prestigious and historically rich buildings. The creation of the University Consorzi in the first half of the twentieth century brought forth a season of intense construction and work. New educational centres and the coordination of the University’s headquarters came to fruition, transforming Padua into one of Italy’s most celebrated art studios. After the Second World War, the University enjoyed an explosion of student enrolment. Acquiring numerous historic buildings with the city and the surrounding area, launched into an urban regeneration that justified past Rectors to call upon important architects to transform and construct new complexes.

Arti e architettura. L’Università nella città
by Barbara Baldan, Giovanni Bianchi, Jacopo Bonetto, Cristina Busatto, Raffaele Cavalli, Elisabetta Cortella, Simone Fatuzzo, Marsel Grosso, Chiara Marin, Marta Nezzo, Alessandra Pattanaro, Giulio Pietrobelli, Vittoria Romani, Elena Svalduz, Giuliana Tomasella, Andrea Tomezzoli, Giovanna Valenzano, Stefano Zaggia; curated by Jacopo Bonetto, Marta Nezzo, Giovanna Valenzano, Stefano Zaggia
Donzelli – Padova University Press, 2022
ISBN 9788855222266