Padua guides

A visit to Padua ticks off Giotto's frescoes, St. Anthony's relics and Donatello's equestrian statue. But with everyone and their mother rushing to hit the highlights, getting more than a surface glimpse of this Italian beauty requires an insider's introduction. Take a private Padua tour with a local guide to avoid the crowds and discover this city's personality while you admire her good looks. Padua burnt to the ground in 1174. A setback, surely - but one that cleared space for some glorious architecture. Meet your guide at dawn at the Basilica Pontificia di Sant'Antonio, then walk to the Palazzo della Ragione, the Abbazia di Santa Giustina, and the Cappella degli Scrovengi . Commune with the dead in the crypt of Santa Sofia, then mingle with the living in the Prato della Valle, Italy's largest public square. Or just sip and be seen at Caffee Pedrocchi, a 200-year-old coffee house decorated in Greco-Roman, Neoclassical and Egyptian motifs.