History and Territory
It has an area of 2,142 km², and a total population of 940,090 (2012) making it the most populated province of Veneto. There are 104 comuni (singular: comune) in the province.
The territory is usually divided in the capital city, Padua, and its hinterland, formed by the nearby municipalities; the Alta Pianura (higher plain), north of the city; the Bassa Pianura (lower plain), south of the city, including the Saccisica in the south-east; and the Colli Euganei (Euganei hills) south-west of the city. The Euganei hills are the only heights of the entire province, the other parts being totally plain.
The province of Padua is rich in touristic sites. The city itself is home of some masterpieces from Medieval and Renaissance art and architecture, while the towns of Cittadella and Montagnana are famous for the well preserved Medieval city walls. There are many ancient and beautiful villas in the countryside, a few of them from Palladio, the main ones being Villa Contarini (in Piazzola sul Brenta) and Villa Barbarigo (in Valsanzibio). The Euganei hills offer a relaxing naturalistic site, often covered in woods, while at their eastern slopes there are many ancient spa sites: the Terme Euganee, as Abano Terme, Montegrotto Terme, Galzignano Terme, Battaglia Terme. There is a small part of the Venetian Lagoon lying inside the province, the Valle Millecampi (one-thousand-fields valley); and also the river landscapes of the countryside offer some good naturalistic route, even for cycling or horse-riding. Travelling by boat is possible as well.
Two motorways cross the territory, one being the A4, the other being the A13; Padua has also an highway ring surrounding the city and connecting it to its hinterland. The main railways make almost the same paths of the motorways, going to Venice, Milan or Bologna; but there are minor railways going north (Castelfranco Veneto), north-west (Bassano del Grappa and Trento), south-west (Mantua) and south-east (Chioggia). The main roads follow all those paths.
The borders of the province are almost the same from the Medieval commune, with just some adjustment in the north-east. The territory was administered within these boundaries since the time of the Republic of Venice, but the modern province comes directly from the administrative divisions of Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. The Diocese of Padua covers the most part of the province, out of a main part of Alta Pianura; instead it includes areas from the surrounding provinces.
Read more about this topic: Province Of Padua
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