University of Padua

Founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from Bologna, University of Padua is the second-oldest university in Italy and the world’s fifth-oldest surviving university. The Botanical Garden of Padova, established by the university in 1545, was one of the oldest gardens of its kind in the world (after the Hanging Gardens of Babylon). The university also houses the oldest surviving permanent anatomical theatre in Europe, dating from 1595. University of Padua was the first university in the world to award a Doctor of Philosophy degree to a woman. The university is constantly ranked among the best Italian universities and in the top 250 worldwide by Times Higher Education, US News & World Report World Best Global Universities Rankings and ARWU. Galileo Galilei held chair of mathematics at the university between 1592 and 1610.