Traveling Tuesdays

Welcome to Padua, where you can find beautiful
architecture (see?) and also beautiful men (I'm just sayin').
Took a day trip here from Venice to visit the restored Giotto
frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel.  You are absolutely not
allowed to take photos in there (in fact, you're barely
allowed to breathe; we had to wait in an airlocked
antechamber for 15 minutes before entering the chapel itself).
Anyway, no Giottos and no men, but this is pretty, isn't it?


[To see more Tuesday travels, visit Sandi's meme.]

Thursday Challenge — "school"

I took this at the University in Padua,

which I've shown before. This young man

had just gotten his degree and (as is

the custom) was being both lauded and

completely embarrassed by his friends:

They made him strip down to his shorts

(in March!) and run between them as they

slapped his back. Then they draped him in

a laurel wreath and paraded him 

through the neighborhood.

[See more schools at Thursday Challenge, here.]

abc wednesday - U is for "university"

This is the university in Padua, the second

oldest in Italy. It was founded in 1222 and

Galileo taught geometry, mechanics, and

astronomy here from 1592 to 1610.

Seriously—can you imagine studying

astronomy with Galileo?

[See more abc wednesday here.]