Padua Trip Overview
An intriguing, exciting and full of surprises journey to discover Padua, the nerve center for Freemasonry. A fascinating itinerary full of suggestions that will lead you through a series of gardens with strong Masonic characteristics. In the nineteenth century, wealthy Paduan families could not fail to have a garden designed by the famous Venetian architect Giuseppe Jappelli, famously a Freemason, so here is our tour to discover Masonic Padua.
Additional Info
Duration: 3 hours
Starts: Padua, Italy
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Padua Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Padua, Veneto, Italy
An intriguing, exciting and full of surprises journey to discover Padua, the nerve center for Freemasonry. A fascinating itinerary full of suggestions that will lead you through a series of gardens with strong Masonic characteristics. In the nineteenth century, wealthy Paduan families could not fail to have a garden designed by the famous Venetian architect Giuseppe Jappelli, famously a Freemason, so here is our tour to discover Masonic Padua.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Giardino Treves De’ Bonfili, Via Cesare Battisti 206, 35121, Padua Italy
Let’s start the tour with the oldest park in Padua: Parco Treves de ‘Bonfili, a few steps from the Basilica del Santo. Upon entering, you will immediately notice the neoclassical temple under which an icebox was hidden, an ancient connection between the park and Palazzo Treves, which no longer exists. This, in addition to being the ancestor of our refrigerator, was also used – thanks to a hole – to ensure coolness in the lovely raised living room. Here we find a Masonic reference: the path from the icebox to the temple is symbolically that of the Freemason who, from rough stone, is smoothed in the search for truth, thanks to philosophy.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Giardino del Palazzo Giacomini Romiati, Via del Santo 51, Padua Italy
Of all the Jappellian gardens of which Padua and its province are dotted, that of Palazzo Giacomini Romiati is the most secret and mysterious. Hidden behind the façade of via del Santo 51, it was commissioned to the famous architect in 1839 by the doctor and professor Giacomo Andrea Giacomini. You must know that the two were not only friends, but shared affiliation with Freemasonry. As you can imagine, therefore, not even here Jappelli spared himself in terms of initiatory symbols and messages: a deliberately and symbolically impervious path leads to the entrance of a tower, a metaphor for the ascent towards knowledge.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Caffe Pedrocchi, Via Otto Febbraio 1848 15, 35122, Padua Italy
The last stop of the tour is at Jappelli’s true work of art, the Caffè Pedrocchi, one of the most important Masonic temples in Italy, with its initiatory staircase that leads to the path – also initiatory – of the rooms on the Noble Floor, with the snake-shaped handles biting its tail to symbolize equality and the necessary interdependence between the sexes, and again, with the octagonal room (the number 8 is dear to the Freemasons, as a symbol of spiritual rebirth). Between one story and another from your guide, you will end your tour with a tasting of CAFFÈ PEDROCCHI, the most famous mint coffee in the world, which comes from the perfect combination of 100% Arabica espresso, emulsion of fresh cream and mint in syrup and a powder of bitter cocoa.
Duration: 1 hour
