Visit Vicenza, the city of Palladio

 

Vicenza opens on the slopes of the Berici hills that offer special views of its medieval towers, the green and majestic domes, the profiles of the Renaissance palaces that stand out on the urban profile.

Small, elegant, cosmopolitan. Vicenza boasts a thousand-year history, a privileged position at the foot of the Pre-Alps, embraced by the hills and only 45 miles far from Venice.

Together with the splendid villas of Andrea Palladio, the famous architect who gave it fame and splendor, the city of Vicenza has been included in the UNESCO list since 1994 as part of the World Heritage Site.

That’s why you should visit Vicenza “city of Palladio“!

I love Vicenza. And I would like those who spend a few hours or maybe a few days to love it too.

I love it for the unique light that reflects on the white architecture of its Palladian buildings.

For its green spaces, courtyards, hidden gardens,  squares and arcades, towers and roof terraces.

And then for the movement of bicycles that bring the streets of the historic center to life, for the street artists who animate the corners of the districts.

A guided tour in Vicenza? It will be a continuous discovery

I would like to share my favorite places with you and help you organize your guided tour in Vicenza.

 

We will start the day with a cappuccino and a pastry in one of the various historic pastry shops in the center.

Only then can the splendor of the main square, the Piazza dei Signori, appear to us with surprising lucidity.

We are in front of the Palladian Basilica, which in my opinion should be the first stage of a serious exploration of Vicenza. This majestic building was never intended for religious purposes – the basilicas were originally courts of justice and places of public assembly.

The long and elegant portico, which was added by Palladio to the pre-existing medieval structure, is now home to the Jewelery Museum and numerous goldsmiths, shops and trendy bars.

In front of it the Loggia del Capitaniato with its brick red facade represents a unicum among all this widespread whiteness.

It is enough to take a few steps to find yourself in the street that for a moment reminds us that Vicenza is not only Palladio: a continuous line of splendid buildings in Venetian floral Gothic style is the most evident memory of the belonging of this city to the Serenissima for 4 centuries. One is an example, among others, which was called Cà D’Oro, the golden house precisely in relation to the most sumptuous residence on the Grand Canal.

Vicenza Olympic Theater

Finally, here we are at the unmissable Teatro Olimpico, the first covered theater in the world, recognized as an architectural marvel and summa of the thought of the Palladian Renaissance: a must for a guided tour in Vicenza.

It was the last building designed by the brilliant architect Palladio who died before it was completed, in 1585.

Its scenography represents an extraordinary trompe l’oeil effect, today we would call it “augmented reality”: this technology already existed in the 16th century and was the result of the wise mathematical calculations and the marvelous architectural intuitions of Vincenzo Scamozzi, who finished the theater after the death of Palladio.

It’s time for a Spritz, a cocktail now famous all over the world born right in the Veneto region. There are many variations of Spritz, probably as many as there are cities in Italy. But a common denominator is certainly the main ingredient, Prosecco, mixed with sparkling water.

I like it straight, with a slice of lemon and without ice.

Choose one of my guided tour proposals in Vicenza, you will discover a city you do not expect.

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