Prato della Valle, Padua

Prato della Valle is one of the largest squares in Europe, an elliptical public space of about 88,000 square metres in the southern part of Padua's historic centre. Created from a drained marsh in 1775 by Venetian magistrate Andrea Memmo, it is built around a central green island, the Isola Memmia, encircled by a small canal crossed by four bridges. The canal is ringed by a double row of 78 statues depicting illustrious figures connected with Padua, from scholars and saints to popes and patrons, forming an open-air gallery of marble portraiture (a few empty plinths remain where statues of Venetian doges once stood). Visitors stroll the gravel paths of the island, sit on the grass, and circle the statue ring, taking in views toward the great domes of the nearby Basilica di Sant'Antonio and the church of Santa Giustina that closes one end of the square. A visit takes 30 to 60 minutes, longer if combined with a coffee at one of the cafés lining the perimeter. The space functions as Padua's living room: a Saturday market fills it with stalls, an antiques market runs on the third Sunday of most months, students gather in warm weather, and seasonal fairs and concerts use the open ground. Photographers favour the symmetry of the statue ring and the bridges, best captured in the soft light of early morning or late afternoon; the fountains and greenery are especially pleasant in spring and summer. The square is free and always open, with no ticket required. Centrally placed in Padua in Italy's Veneto region, it pairs naturally with the adjacent Basilica di Sant'Antonio and the botanical garden, the Orto Botanico, just a few minutes' walk away.