Padua - according to the Aenid and a medieval commune, the city was found more than 3000 years ago, the first city in italy! Sadly, after late antiquity the city went through a sucession of rulers through conquest, one of which burned down the old city. Only an ampitheatre and some bridge foundations are all that remains of the original Padua today. For quite some time after being burned down, Padua the city remained weak. It was ransacked around 900 a.d. by the magyars. Another fire in 1174 required a virtual rebuilding of the city.

A few sights to see in Padua, were you ever to go there, are the Scrovegni Chapel that stands on the site of a roman era arena, the Santa Sofia - a church started in the 10th century, its university founded in 1222, and the Basilica di Sant'Antonio da Padova, also constructed in the 1200's.

In Taming of the Shrew, Lucentio leaves his home in Pisa to go to the university in Padua (although he is a gentleman of Verona). Looking at the history of taming of the Shrew, I find the 70's version with elizabeth taylor an excellent example of a slight variation on the play that makes it all seem somewhat less mysoginistic.

Many think that Petruchios treatment of Katherine was abusive. And it was. Denying her food, destroying her clothes, leaving her out in the cold - all terrible things to do. But she was a terrible woman. She tied her sister up, beat a music instructor with his own instrument and routinely verbally lashed lots of people around her. Should he have lavished her with love and respect, when she gave that to no one? When she agrees that the sun is the moon, near the end, has she given up self respect, or is she really just demonstrating great strength in restraint? While Shakespeare may have written Taming of the Shrew to demonstrate that a womans place in life is beneath her husband, I think Petruchio really held great respect for Katherine. She was strong, fierce, and fiery.