Padova


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General Information

The city of Padova (in English, Padua) is the economic and communications hub of the Veneto region in northern Italy. The capital of Padova province, it stands on the Bacchiglione River, 40km west of Venice and 29km southeast of Vicenza, with a population of 211,985 (2004).

The city is included with Venice in the Padova-Venice Metropolitan Area with a population of 1,600,000 and is picturesque with a dense network of arcaded streets opening into large communal piazze, and many bridges crossing the various branches of the Bacchiglione River, which once surrounded the ancient walls of the city like a moat.

Padova is the setting for most of the action in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The industry of Padua has greatly developed in modern times. Corn and saw mills, distilleries, chemical factories, breweries, candle-works, ink-works, foundries, agricultural machine and automobile works, have been established and are flourishing. The trade of the district has grown to such an extent that Padova has become the central market for the whole of Veneto.

The Fratelli Ruffatti (Famiglia Artigiana Fratelli Ruffatti) company is based out of Padova. Ruffatti is a pipe organ manufacturer which has installed a number of high profile instruments. One of the more famous locations in which Ruffatti have installed an organ is at the Crystal Cathedral in California.

Source: Wikipedia