Padova

This day was all about getting outside Venice to see another city in Italy: Padova (aka Padua). The sight of cars and rigid means of transportation was shocking after adapting to only seeing boats for 5 days. As a fan of train travel, I was in a way hoping the trip would be longer than 20 minutes, but I certainly couldn't complain about having more time in Padova! My favorite part about this city is that it hosts an 800 year old university famous for having had Galileo as one of its lecturers. If that fact was not impressive enough, this university also has one of the most unique graduation ceremonies of any college in Italy. Students graduate continuously throughout the year, so we had no problem witnessing several during our day trip.

Irene Carbone. Photo Credit - Amanda Mark

Antonio wearing a skirt, ready for his turn. Photo credit - Michael Peters

The graduates above are taking part in a public hazing tradition. Their friends got together and created a poster listing all of the embarrassing things the graduate did or said throughout their time at the university. Then, in public, the graduate, who shows up dressed in underwear or a silly costume, reads off everything on the poster. If they make a mistake they have to drink, and throughout the whole process their friends may squirt a water gun at them, throw food of them, crack eggs on their heads, or humiliate them in other ways.

Chants of "Dottore, dottore, dottore del buso del cul, vaffancul, vaffancul" from friends and family resonate throughout the streets during the ritual (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvCbOEk6tGM). The title for MA/MFA/MD/MEd graduate students in Italy is Dottore (meaning Doctor). The public hazing we observed seemed to be mostly for Master's students, but apparently it gets even worse for students graduating with a PhD.

This tradition speaks volumes about how comfortable Italians are with public expression and their appreciation for the absurd. The relaxed laws on drinking publicly allow them to enjoy additional freedoms and live their lives with minimal worries.