Palazzo Bò

The main part of the university is housed in Palazzo Bò. Bò means 'ox' in the Veneto dialect and is named after an inn that previously occupied the site. Established in 1222, the university is Italy's oldest after the one in Bologna. Europe's first anatomy theatre opened here in 1594, and Galileo Galilei taught at the university from 1592 to 1610. The main courtyard and its halls are plastered with coats of arms of the great and learned from across Europe.

Inside, aside from the beautiful, elliptical anatomy theatre, the highlights are a simple wooden lectern said to have been Galileo's and the Aula Magna, the main classroom until the 19th century (when the frescoes were added).