While in glorious Venice, Italy, I made a day trip to Padua by train. The ride takes just half an hour. So, what makes Padua remarkable enough to tempt travelers to leave Venice, even if only for a day?

Padua’s compelling answer: two main draws—the Scrovegni Chapel and the Basilica of Saint Anthony, both part of “Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles” UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I first learned about the chapel after visiting Assisi in 2013. I was captivated by Giotto’s life-like frescoes in the Basilica of Saint Francis, painted in the late 13th century. (That’s really early art.) I tucked away the idea of seeing his masterworks in Padua, and finally, my 2025 trip to Venice presented the chance.