We had the most wonderful treat of a sleep-in this morning. We thought we were going have to be up early because when we arrived our host had asked us to vacate by 8:30am on the day we leave so he could refresh the apartment before new guests arrived. However, while I was packing the bags last night, it was a nice surprise when John, who was reviewing our onwards bookings, realised that we had another day here. We aren't due to leave until Thursday, not tomorrow, Wednesday. Bonus! We clearly allowed ourselves two full days to explore Padua when we made our plans earlier in the year.
Hence, we set a very leisurely pace all day. Last night we booked tickets online for the 11:30am tour of the anatomical theatre today. We were going to get to see it after all. And what a treat it was too. The tour, which lasted nearly an hour, was extremely interesting. We learned all about the history of the university in Padua, which, because it was not overseen by a religious entity, was very free in its thinking, philosophising, innovation and experimentation. It was founded in 1222 and is the second oldest in Italy and the fifth oldest in the world.
It began as a law school before expanding to encompass medicine, astronomy, philosophy, grammar and linguistics. Students were attracted to if from all over Europe and as well as much farther afield, and many of them went on to become legendary in their contributions to their countries. Galileo was one of the students and he himself lectured at the university for 18 years.
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| Galileo's lecture stand, erected by his students. Since the latter were quite poor, it is made out of low-grade wood and is quite haphazard in its construction. It would have been covered by draped cloth. |
Of most interest to John was the anatomical theatre itself. It was used for dissections from the 16th century up until the 19th century. It is not now permitted to stand inside the theatre but we were allowed below it, at the lowest level, which is where the corpse and professor would have been. Rising above here are six levels of ringed viewing platforms, which could contain a total of only 250 students. Apparently, because of a lack of ventilation (there are no windows) and the insidious decay of the body over time, students frequently fainted while watching a demonstration. The balustrade railings at each level were built purposely high enough to catch a falling body, to ensure they didn't end up on top of the corpse below!
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Inside the anatomical theatre, looking up from the lowest level which would have held the corpse.
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In one room all the chairs were filled by professors. The seat and small deck in the centre of the configuration was occupied by a medical student who, each in turn, was grilled by the professors before being allowed to graduate. The room is still used for this purpose. The murals painted on the wall at the far end, in part, show anatomical details.
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The graduation test room
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We enjoyed a very casual lunch after we left the university, fully appreciative of the contribution that the institution and its students have made to the world over the centuries. It really was good that we did manage to get on the tour.
For lunch I had a light salad and John a pasta dish, but beforehand, as it typically the case in Italy, the bread accompaniment to the meal is served to the table in a paper bag, and the cutlery in a brown paper bag. It has seemed a little odd to us in the past but we are now used to it. However, today the bread was sliced into finger pieces - much like one would feed to the ducks I conjectured!
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| Paper bag of bread for lunch |
Home to pack and get prepared for our first hike tomorrow in the Dolomites. We picked up a pizza for dinner tonight, and another to take with us for lunch on the go tomorrow. We're off to the mountains, to cool air, and apparently a whole lot of rain ...
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| Our accomodation was under an arch to the left |
