Magnificent!

This was the single highlight of my trip around the Veneto, and the finest site I have visited from the tentative list. It could easily make it onto the World Heritage list proper and I really hope it does.

The chapel is famous for its magnificent frescos painted by Giotto. There was something about the amazing misty colours of the interior that really grabbed my attention and held it. The 15 minutes or so we were in this small chapel enabled us to follow the story being depicted on the wall very closely, and gave plenty of time to really absorb the details of the art works, looking at the incredible emotion that Giotto was able to get into the depictions. This chapel is one of the key works of art from a major turning point in the western tradition; it shows the transition from gothic art to the more natural forms associated with the renaissance.

Entry to the chapel is restricted and you will have to book in advance (at least 3 days before but I would recommend booking as early as possible especially if you come in the high season). This limited entry means that a maximum of 25 people are allowed in the chapel at a time, which makes for an exceptionally rewarding way to see the paintings, allowing you time and space to really appreciate them (if only somewhere like the Sistine Chapel could give you the time and space to admire the artworks). Before entering you watch a 10 minute video in a small chamber to help regulate the environment inside the chapel. The chapel is located a pretty near to the station in Padua, and really should be the main purpose for visiting the city, even over the already inscribed Orto Botanico.

After exiting I had to take a little while to just reflect on what I saw, it stands alongside Skellig Michael and the Plantin Moretus Museum as one of the most impressive sites I have seen. These small and manageable places manage to squeeze a lot into small places and they really had a major effect on me.

This is a truly World Class site and one that the World Heritage list is poorer for not including at the moment. I really hope this is added at some stage in the future.

[Site 9: Experience 9]