The University of Padova has existed for almost eight hundred years – a time which may be chronicled in many ways: the succession of influential figures, the changing nature of study, and of the very conception of knowledge and its recipients, history in continual transformation. The institution is also revealed through its artistic legacy. Monuments, palazzi and works which the University has commissioned or purchased over time all clearly reflect the vicissitudes of the patavina universitas. At the University of Padova the past is the source not only of our traditions but of our motivation and our determination to innovate. We continue that same tradition of freedom in scientific experimentation that brought here the most distinguished scholars and students of Europe and led to some of the most important discoveries ever made in the fields of medicine and astronomy, discoveries that fully justify Padova’s reputation as “nursery of arts”. At Padova, research, teaching and learning are closely related and, in a way, are different means to the same end. That end is to be protagonists in the life of our community, and to be ambassadors of our most fundamental values: passionate search for truth and freedom to cultivate understanding and to compare experiences beyond all barriers and differences, without distinctions and without prejudices. (Source: the university’s website)