claim: Padua is the political hub of the area.
evidence: Padua -LRB- -LSB- ˈpædju.ə -RSB- or -LSB- ˈpædʒu.ə -RSB- , Padova -LSB- ˈpaːdova -RSB- ; Padova -RRB- is a city and comune in Veneto , northern Italy .. Veneto. Veneto. Padua. Province of Padua. comune. comune. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area .. Padua. Province of Padua. province of Padua. province of Padua. Padua 's population is 214,000 .. Padua. Province of Padua. The city is sometimes included , with Venice -LRB- Italian Venezia -RRB- and Treviso , in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area , which has a population of c. 1,600,000 .. Padua. Province of Padua. Venice. Venice. Italian. Italian language. Treviso. Treviso. Metropolitan Area. Metropolitan area. Padua stands on the Bacchiglione River , 40 km west of Venice and 29 km southeast of Vicenza .. Padua. Province of Padua. Venice. Venice. Bacchiglione River. Bacchiglione. Vicenza. Vicenza. Bacchiglione. Bacchiglione. The Brenta River , which once ran through the city , still touches the northern districts .. Brenta River. Brenta River. Its agricultural setting is the Venetian Plain -LRB- Pianura Veneta -RRB- .. Venetian Plain. Venetian Plain. To the city 's south west lies the Euganaean Hills , praised by Lucan and Martial , Petrarch , Ugo Foscolo , and Shelley .. Euganaean Hills. Colli Euganei. Lucan. Lucan. Martial. Martial. Petrarch. Petrarch. Ugo Foscolo. Ugo Foscolo. Shelley. Percy Bysshe Shelley. It hosts the University of Padua , founded in 1222 , where Galileo Galilei was a lecturer .. Padua. Province of Padua. University of Padua. University of Padua. Galileo Galilei. Galileo Galilei. The city is picturesque , with a dense network of arcaded streets opening into large communal piazze , and many bridges crossing the various branches of the Bacchiglione , which once surrounded the ancient walls like a moat .. arcaded. Arcade ( Architecture ). Bacchiglione. Bacchiglione. moat. moat. Padua is the setting for most of the action in Shakespeare 's The Taming of the Shrew .. Padua. Province of Padua. Shakespeare. William Shakespeare. The Taming of the Shrew. The Taming of the Shrew. There is a play by the Victorian writer Oscar Wilde , titled The Duchess Of Padua .. Padua. Province of Padua