Vicenza

Every corner is decorated, designed with a magnificent architecture that is dominated by one name: Andrea Palladio. This great architect left his most important marks in the art in the palaces, which we still can admire for their unmistakable elegance.

Most of all at the Loggia del Capitaniato and the Basilica Palladiana, where from its upper storey you can enjoy a breath-taking view of the three squares beneath. In this ideal stage and theatrical setting, we can find other pieces created by the famous architect: Palazzo Chiericati, today’s location for the Museo Civico and the Pinacoteca; Palazzo Barbaran da Porto, home of the Museo Palladiano and Palazzo Valmarana.

A veritable masterpiece is also the Teatro Olimpico (Olympic Theatre), which Salvador Dalì called ‘the acme of divine aesthetics’ and which in 1994 was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with Palladio’s other pieces of work.

Just outside Vicenza, you can admire one of its most famous architectural works, the wonderful Villa Almerico-Capra, called La Rotonda, famous for its special centralised design and part of the natural environment of the Colli Berici. But a lot of villas around Vicenza also deserve a dedicated visit.

Not far from the centre, on the hills dominating the city, there is the Basilica di Monte Berico, housing a lot of precious works of art, including a painting by Paolo Veronese called Cena di S. Gregorio Magno (the Supper of Saint Gregorio Magno).
Eating in Vicenza…
The typical traditional dish is Baccalà alla vicentina (codfish served with polenta). But the cuisine of the Vicenza area is very rich and full of masterpieces, high quality natural wines and food products: the white asparagus of Bassano, the cherries of Marostica, the sopressa Vicentina DOP (sausage) and Asiago cheese. These are only some examples of the extraordinary flavours that mark the seasons in the cuisine of Vicenza.

Do not miss:

• The sites described by Goethe and Fogazzaro, unusual itineraries to discover the city;
• A good ice cream of the Gelataro De Magrè in the Piazza Castello;
• The evening visit to The Palladian Basilica opened until 25 September 2017;
• A visit to the Gothic Castle of Thiene.