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Padua is a small town in the far north of the Tolima department of Colombia. It’s on the main road between Manizales and Bogotá.
Introduction to Padua, Tolima
Padua is administratively part of the town of Herveo and was once called Guarumo after a tree common in the area. The name later changed to Padua in honor of the Italian city. It’s primarily an agricultural town known for producing high-quality Hass avocados, and sits on the edge of the country’s Coffee Region.
What to See in Padua
There’s really no reason to stop in Padua, but if you’re traveling between Manizales and Bogotá by car, you have to pass through. The main road is lined with stores, a few restaurants, and auto repair shops. In the center is the Church of St. Anthony of Padua (Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua).
Cableway Tower
Across the street from the church is a cableway tower that was once part of the Manizales-Mariquita Cableway. It was approximately 72 kilometers long with a total of 375 steel towers and 1 wooden tower along with 22 stations. The towers ranged from 4 to 54 meters in height. It went into service on January 22, 1922, with the purpose of transporting coffee and other goods to ports on the Magdalena River. The entire trip between the cities of Manizales and Mariquita took 10 hours. With oxen and mules it would have taken 10 days! Increasing competition from much faster road transportation caused operations to cease on October 20, 1967.
