Prato Della Valle

This morning we headed for the Basilica of St Anthony, who is the patron saint of the city and whose tomb in the Basilica is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year. Next to his tomb is a chapel displaying various relics including his”incorrupt” tongue, one of his fingers, a lock of hair and some skin taken from his head. There was quite a queue to view them!

From there we walked to the Prato della Valle, which was pretty much deserted after yesterday’s market. The main blip gives a much better view of it, with the Basilica in the background.

In the afternoon we enjoyed a guided tour of the Palazzo Bo, the main seat of the University, which was founded in 1222 and unusually not funded by either stat or church but the students themselves. As such it became a centre of free thinking, attracting people such as Galileo who were free to develop their controversial theories. You can see the dais the students built him to lecture from. His lectures were so popular he needed one this high to be seen by the crowds who gathered in the Great Hall to hear him speak. See extras.

There is also a statue to one of the first women to graduate with a degree and the first to become a Doctor of Philosophy. (See extra)

Elena Cornora Piscopia was only allowed to study at home and her tutors had to visit her and she actually studied Theology but the church wouldn’t allow her to qualify in that so Philosophy was a compromise; on a more heartening note the locals were so keen to support her that huge crowds turned up to witness her graduation. In 1678.