The University of Padua celebrated its 800th anniversary on Thursday with a ceremony attended by Italy's president Sergio Mattarella, the president of the Italian senate Elisabetta Casellati, and the president of the European parliament Roberta Metsola.

The visiting dignitaries, which included Italy's minister of university and research Maria Cristina Messa, were welcomed by the university's rector Daniela Mapelli who last October became the first woman to hold the top post at the institution since it was founded in 1222.