The Department of Biology which was conceived at the end of 1983 and officially decreed by the rector in January 1984, unites University of Padova academic staff from different disciplines. As a matter of fact, the Institutes of Botany, of Animal Biology and that of Anthropology joined to form a single department entitled to Antonio Vallisneri senior, a medical doctor and academic in Padova during the years from 1700 to 1730. The choice of the name was not only due to the fact that the interests of this remarkable scientist embraced the most disparate fields of the natural sciences (including the life sciences as well as the geological sciences), but also because the building was host to a part of preclinical medicine. It was within this complex departmental structure that research and teaching activities, relating to numerous biological disciplines, began to take place: from Molecular Biology to Genetics, from Zoology to Ecology, from Physiology to Anthropology, from Botanics to Plant Physiology, from Cell Biology to Comparative Anatomy.

The Department of Biology is located in the vicinity of the "Portello" (an ancient gate to the city) and of the Padova Fairgrounds, at 700 metres from the Padova train station, from which the Department of Biology is within easy walking distance, or can be reached by bus or taxi (3 minute ride). All national and international trains stop in Padova, and every day there are trains to and from Milan (every hour) and to and from Venice (every 30 minutes).

From the Venice airport, Padova can be reached in 45 minutes by taxi (relatively expensive!) or by SITA bus (which leaves from the airport every 30 minutes from Monday to Friday and every hour on Saturdays and Sundays). Ask the bus driver for information regarding the ticket (the price is approximately 5 Euros). The bus makes a first stop in Piazzale Roma (Venice) and is then directed to Padova.

Padova is located in the center of the Veneto region, at the crossroads between the A4 and A13 highways. The city is at less than a three-hour drive from Milan, the Brenner pass, the Tarvisio pass, and from Trieste; an hour’s drive from Bologna and Verona; and 20 minutes from Venice.

From the highway: take the Padova Est exit from the A4 highway (Venezia-Milano), and follow the directions for the City Center and Fairgrounds; after 3 kilometers you will reach the Fairgrounds parking spaces, which are close to the Department of Biology.