The main plot of The Taming of the Shrew is set in Padua, a city in northern Italy.
Padua is where Baptista Minola’s daughters, Katherina and Bianca, live and where the central courtship plots unfold. Lucentio arrives there to study, falls in love with Bianca, and disguises himself as a Latin tutor so he can approach her. Bianca’s other suitors also disguise themselves as teachers, while Petruchio comes to Padua seeking a wealthy wife and begins courting the outspoken Katherina.
The play’s setting reflects Renaissance Europe’s fascination with Italy as a place of commerce, education, social mobility, and elaborate courtship. Padua was historically known for its university, founded in 1222, which helps explain Lucentio’s opening purpose in the city. Shakespeare’s geography is not fully precise: the play refers to Padua as being in Lombardy, although modern Padua is in Veneto.
Verona is an important secondary location because it is Petruchio’s home, and some later action takes place there. Florence and Mantua are not the main setting of the play’s central plot.