University of Padua Postcard

The postcard shows, I believe, the Palazzo del Bo entrance of the University of Padua. The university, located in Padua, Italy, was founded in 1222 when a large group of students and professors left the University of Bologna in search of more academic freedom. From the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, the university was renowned for its research, particularly in the areas of medicine, astronomy, philosophy and law.

University of Padua Postcard

Originally, the site of the historical seat of the University was occupied by an inn, at the “sign of the Ox” (Bo), which had been given to a butcher by Francesco da Carrara, Lord of Padua, in repayment for the meat supplied during the 1405 siege of the city. In 1539 the building became the property of the University, and ever since then it has housed the main seat of the Institute, though the name by which it is familiarly known has maintained that reference to the "sign of the Ox".

SOURCES:
University of Padua Wikipedia Entry
Palazzo Bo