Padua's Duomo, or cathedral, dates to the 11th century, but was remodeled in 1552 AD on a design of Michelangelo. It is open (Mon - Sat 7.30 am - noon & 3.45 - 7.30 pm, Sun 7.45 am - 1 pm & 3.45 - 8.30 pm) is an unlovely church whose architect cribbed his design from drawings by Michelangelo. The Padua Baptistry is a centrally studied structure with a domical vault supported on pendentives. Giusto and his assistants covered every wall surface of the Baptistry with frescoes. One of the primary themes of the program is the end of time, the Day of Judgment, when the elect will join Christ in his kingdom. Concentric tiers of saints and angels ring the centre of the dome, whose height is enhanced by the progressive diminution of the figures' sizes toward the central, looming figure of the blessing Christ. Directly beneath him and on axis with the Baptistry's entrance door hovers the Virgin in a glowing gold mandorla. It is open (daily: June - Sept 9.30 am - 1.30 pm & 3 - 7 pm; Oct - May 9.30 am - 1 pm & 3 - 6 pm). Built by the Da Carraras in the thirteenth century and still in use today, it's lined with fourteenth-century frescoes by Giusto de'Menabuoi, a cycle which makes a fascinating comparison with Giotto's in the Cappella degli Scrovegni. The influence of Giotto is plain, but in striving for greater realism Giusto has lost Giotto's monumentality and made some of his figures awkward and unconvincing. Yet many of the scenes are delightful, and the vibrancy of their colors, coupled with the size and relative quiet of the building, make for a memorable visit.

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