One of the most sought-after sites in the city and in northern Italy as a whole, the Scrovegni Chapel is located within the Giardini dell’Arena (Arena Gardens). It was built for the wealthy Paduan banker Enrico Scrovegni. In the early 1300s, he purchased the land where the ancient Roman arena once stood. There, he constructed his lavish palace along with a small chapel annexed to it.

The chapel served two purposes: it was both the family’s private place of worship and their burial site. To adorn it, Scrovegni commissioned the painter Giotto, who decorated the walls and ceiling with a series of frescoes depicting scenes from the lives of Jesus and his mother, Mary.

The style of painting, completed around 1304, was revolutionary for its time and is considered a starting point for a new artistic era — the Renaissance. Giotto introduced multi-dimensional figures and scenes set in everyday, earthly environments (rather than in a purely gold, symbolic background).

One of the most famous scenes is the Kiss of Judas, in which Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus with a kiss.

Due to the high demand to view the fresco cycle, entrance to the chapel is only possible with advance reservation and for a limited time slot.