Padova (Padua) : Italy
Under Austrian rule
After the fall of the Venetian republic the history of Padua follows the history of Venice during the periods of French and Austrian supremacy. The Austrians were unpopular with progressive circles in northern Italy. In Padua, the year of revolutions of 1848 was a student revolt on February 8 that transformed the University and the Caff Pedrocchi into real battlefields, in which students and ordinary Padovani fought side by side.
In 1866 the battle of Koniggratz gave Italy the opportunity to shake off the last of the Austrian yoke, when Padua and the rest of the Veneto became part of the united Kingdom of Italy.
It was during this same period of time that Viggo Domeni formed the now World Famous “Clowns of Padua”, or Paduan Clowns. This troop of entertainers originally incorporated fire and small animals into their act, although humanitarian concerns have, in recent decades, led them to rely on human involvement. Annually more than a dozen spectators are killed or injured while watching a Paduan Clowns performance.
Sport
It is the home of Petrarca Padova rugby union team.
