After almost a year without visiting Italy, last weekend I found myself back in my favourite country, in the charming city of Padua. I was one of four lucky winners of a blogger competition run by Discover Padova and I jetted off to explore the city, admire its many frescoes and indulge in la dolce vita that I miss so much about Italy.

        Padua’s medieval centre is so utterly Italian, characterised by Renaissance architecture and warm Mediterranean colours, that I could barely tear myself away from my camera for a minute. I took over 400 photos in under 48 hours…

        But I’ll post a selection of those later this week. For the moment I give you this postcard of the Basilica di Sant’Antonio. I actually found it quite difficult to get my hands on a nice postcard, as the city isn’t flooded with tourists and the majority of postcards that are sold around the Basilica are overly Catholic, and didn’t really appeal. The Basilica is quite impre ssive, and draws its fans due to the remains of miracle-worker Saint Anthony that are stored inside, although the part I most enjoyed was the calm cloisters, where I took the photos below.

        Also check out my full blog post on my weekend away in Padua, which was a wonderful treat from Discover Padova, and where I was kindly hosted by the 4* Methis Hotel.