The University of Padua – Università di Padova or UNIPD – was founded in 1222 (although some evidence puts it before this date) and is one of a number of medieval universities in Italy still operating. The Università di Padova is notable for its revolutionary early research in astronomy, law, medicine and philosophy. See how the University of Padua ranks in the QS World University Rankings. It now hosts around 62,500 students in the city of Padua, the setting of William Shakespeare’s famous play The Taming of the Shrew. In 1545, the Università di Padova established the Botanical Garden of Padova, now one of the oldest academic gardens in the world. It also runs nine museums.
