Palazzo Santo Stefano is the historical seat of the Prefecture and Province of Padua, a shrine full of beauties and memories. Its origins go back to ~ 1000 AC as a female Benedictine monastery. Since then, the building has undergone several changes, with the most important occurred after the Napoleonic suppression of the monastic orders (1810-1866). Palazzo Santo Stefano hosted the Provincial government and the residence of the Prefect since 1868. The architectural and artistic beauties within its rooms, especially the Council Chamber and the Grand Stairway in the historic entrance are among the main attractions of this historical building.
Recent investigations brought to light also an unexpected discovery: an underground anti-gas and anti-aircraft shelter built during the World War II. Palazzo Santo Stefano opens its doors to schools, guests and citizens as an Urban Museum in the heart of Padua, as a part of a large network of the Provincial museums.
Palazzo Santo Stefano is located in Piazza Antenore, at walking distance from the tram/bus stops "Tito Livio" and "Ponti Romani", and the main city squares. Tickets can be bought at the train station or in newspaper and tobacco shops in the city. One ticket costs 1.30€ and has a validity of 60 min. A carnet of 10 tickets (12€) is also available at the vendors.
How to get the conference venue:
By car: Padova is accessible from the A4 (Milan - Venice) and from the A13 (Bologna - Padova) toll highways.
By train: the main high speed train lines reaching Padova are Milan - Venice and Rome - Venice. The city is served by two of the main high speed train company in Italy, Trenitalia and Italo. The city is also served by other train lines from different cities in Italy, operated by Trenitalia. The city is also reachable by trains from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Train ticket must be bought in advance.
By bus: the city is connected to other Italian and European cities by long-distance buses (e.g. FlixBus)
By airplane: the closest airports to Padova are Venice Marco Polo International Airport (VCE), Treviso Antonio Canova International Airport (TSF) and Verona Villafranca Valerio Catullo International Airport (VRN). The three airports are served by major air companies. The connection to and from each airport is guaranteed by several services.
From VCE:
The transfer from this airport is operated by the following public autobus companies:
1) Busitalia (~1h journey - check Aeroporto M. Polo - Padova autostazione). Tickets are sold at the airport ticket counter or onboard. The costs is 8.50€/one way (10.00€ onboard). Please keep in mind that traffic jams and delays are possible when planning you journey. Padova autostazione (bus station) is located next to Padova train station, where there are tram/bus/taxi stop/connections.
2) ATVO (Venice public transportation company), which connects Venice Airport to Venezia Mestre (mainland) train station. The ticket cost is 8€ and can be bought online and from different vendors. Several trains (every ~1/2 h) connect Venezia Mestre to Padova train station. Ticket can be bought directly at the station or online. Please keep in mind that either high speed or regional train connection are available but regional (Regionale Veloce) train tickets (4.45€/one way) are less expensive, while the journey time is almost the same (~20min).
From TSF:
Direct transfer from this airport is operated by the public autobus company Mobilità di Marca (MOM). The ticket costs 4.30€/one way (8€ onboard).
From VRN:
Catullo airport is connected to Verona train station by a direct bus service (ATV). Tickets can be bought at the airport or onboard. Verona and Padova train stations are connected by several high-speed and regional trains.
Here a link to Padova City Map with useful information. Piazza Antenore/Palazzo Santo Stefano are labelled 27 (tile C3).
