Vicenza is known as the adoptive city of Andrea Palladio (1508–80), who started out as a stonemason and became one of the most influential architects of all time. One of the wealthiest cities in the Veneto, Vicenza is celebrated the world over for its splendid and varied architecture, which shows the extraordinary evolution of Palladio’s distinctive style. It also offers a dazzling array of elegant shops and cafés to visit.
t Palazzo della Ragione and the Torre di Piazza in Piazza dei Signori
This square at the heart of Vicenza is dominated by the Palazzo della Ragione, its balustrade bristling with statues of Greek and Roman gods. Often referred to as the Basilica, the building is now an exhibition space. Beside it stands the 12th-century Torre di Piazza. The Loggia del Capitaniato, to the northwest, was built by Palladio in 1571.
" ⌂ Piazza dei Signori § 0444 22 28 11 # For exhibitions, concerts and guided tours only (call for timings)
t The intricate stage design at the Teatro Olimpico
Palladio began work on the Teatro Olimpico, Europe’s oldest surviving indoor theatre In 1579, but died the following year. His pupil Vicenzo Scamozzi took over the project, designing the scenery for the first production in 1585. Using wood and plaster painted to look like marble, he created the illusion of streets receding to a distant horizon through trompe l'oeil effects.
This museum is housed in Palazzo Chiericati, which was built by Palladio. Among the Gothic altarpieces from Vicenza churches on display here is Hans Memling’s Crucifixion (1468–70).
This Gothic church was built in 1261 to house a thorn donated by Louis IX of France, and said to be from Christ’s Crown of Thorns. Notable paintings include Giovanni Bellini’s Baptism of Christ (c.1500) and the Adoration of the Magi (1573) by Paolo Veronese.
Monte Berico is the cypress-clad hill to which wealthy residents once escaped in the heat of summer to enjoy the cooler air and pastoral charms of their country estates. The domed basilica on top of the hill is dedicated to the Virgin who is said to have appeared here during the 1426–8 plague to announce that Vicenza would be spared.
The portal of this church is a fine example of Gothic stone carving, decorated with the figures of the Virgin and Child, and St Francis and St Clare.
The wall alongside the Villa Valmarana, built in 1688 by Antonio Muttoni, is topped by figures of dwarfs (nani), which give the building its name.
Inside, the walls are covered with frescoes by Tiepolo, in which the gods float about on clouds watching scenes from the epics of Homer and Virgil. In the separate Foresteria (guesthouse) are 18th-century frescoes painted by Tiepolo’s son Giandomenico.
With its perfectly regular, symmetrical forms, this villa, also known as the Villa Capra Valmarana, is the epitome of Palladio’s architecture. The design, consisting of a dome rising above a cube, received immediate acclaim for the way it blends perfectly with its surroundings.
The villa, built in 1550–52 has inspired many copies in cities as far away as London, St Petersberg and Delhi.
Andrea Palladio was perhaps the most sought-after architect of the 16th century. Inspired by the treatises of ancient authors such as Vitruvius and Virgil, Palladio designed elegant palaces and villas for his clients that harked back to the Classical Golden Age. His own architectural treatise The Four Books of Architecture gained him widespread international recognition.