The Duomo of Padua, although the most important church in the city, has become secondary due to the Basilica di Sant’Antonio. However, visiting it and the adjacent baptistery is still worthwhile and recommended. The original design was by Michelangelo Buonarroti, but the current result shows changes from the original plans. Today, you can see the unfinished facade, which allows (almost uniquely in Italy) a glimpse of what a church facade looks like before marble slabs are applied.
The interior is rich in artworks — paintings, sculptures, and sacred objects — and the current organ is particularly interesting as it is part of a centuries-old tradition of singing and music in the church.
In the adjacent baptistery, it’s worth looking up toward the top of the dome and feeling the gaze of hundreds of saints and angels watching over the small human figure, all in the amazing painting by the artist Giusto de’ Menabuoi.