Vicenza

VICENZA (situated ca. one hour by car from here) the city of Palladio, city par excellence, not only for having taken him in warmly as a young man when he left his native Padova, and giving him the necessary tools and training which enabled him to become the century's greatest architect, but also for having remained faithful to the ideals which he had introduced, even generations later. Vicenza has chosen to remain Palladian in spirit despite the temptations of other models and fashions; in this it has shown itself to be truly coherent right up to the present day. Naturally there is also a pre-Palladian Vicenza, visitable in Roman and medieval monuments.

You will admire:

• Basilica dei SS. Felice e Fortunato: the oldest part of it dates back to the fourth century. Other bits were then added in the fifth century the Martirion and the Battistero were built. Its present appearance is mainly due to structural work carried out in the tenth and twelfth centuries.
• S. Lorenzo church: large Franciscan church built towards the end of the thirteenth century. Its doorway is decorated with fourteenth century carvings, and inside there are numerous large altars.
• S. Corona church: it is Dominican and contains prestigious works of art such as the "Battesimo di Cristo" by Giovanni Bellini and the "Adorazione dei Magi" by Paolo Veronese. The presbytery was designed by Lorenzo da Bologna in a clearly fifteenth century style: he did much to introduce new Renaissance forms into Padova as well as Vicenza.
• Cathedral: Lorenzo da Bologna also worked on the cathedral which was rebuilt a number of times on the site of a primitive paleochristian church. Its facade still bears traces of Gothic influences and it can boast of a large polyptych by Lorenzo Veneziano.
• Porto Festa, Thiene, Chiericati's Palaces: in the middle of the sixteenth century Palladio had established his reputation and the nobility of the city received him with great honors. Palazzo Porto Festa, Palazzo Thiene and Palazzo Chiericati were built more or less contemporaneously although each of them gives the impression of being the model of a different set of architectural values.
• Olimpico Theatre: Vicenza conserves this theatre, which houses the first permanent company in Italy, with great pride. It is called the Olimpico after the academy that commissioned it and to which Palladio also belonged. It is designed in imitation of a typical theatre of ancient times and symbolizes thereby the admiration for all classical things, typical of this period. Its cornices, statues, forms and illusions, bring us into a world of incredibly fine harmony, unmatched elsewhere.
• Villa La Rotonda: this is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Vicenza. It stands just outside the town, on the so-called Riviera Berica, set apart on a ridge, though clearly visible despite this - on a low and hilly rise which looks out over a wide view. The Rotonda raises high its limpid lines - embodiment of the ideals of humanism - and extends its four arches towards the horizon as though the universe should unite with it, and revolve around its dome.
• Villa Valmarana: it's costumary on leaving La Rotonda to take the path from there to the nearby villa of Valmarana, better known as the "Villa of the dwarves" on account of the statues which adorn the low garden walls. To be precise, the villa is made up of two constructions, the villa itself and the rooms used to house guests. They were apparently built at different times, though fairly close together, by Antonio Muttoni and his son Francesco. In 1756 both the villa and the guest-rooms were decoreted by Tiepolo, Gianbattista and Giandomenico with help from their assistants.

In the province of Vicenza

• Lonedo: it houses the palladian Villa Godi;
• Poiana: Villa Poiana;
• Finale: Villa Saraceno;
• Caldogno: Villa Caldogno;
• Bagnolo: Villa Pisani;
• Quinto: Villa Thiene;
• Trissino: Villa Trissino with one of the most beautiful gardens dating back to 1700
• Lonigo:Villa Rocca Pisana. There is no other villa which can compare with this one either in or out of the region. It was built in 1578 by Vincenzo Scamozzi. Like the Palladian Rotonda, it makes the building seem even more remote, and it therefore commands an unlimited view.
• Marostica: it is surrounded by the walls built in the fourteenth century when it was under Della Scala domination. Each year in September Marostica is the site of an unusual game of chess, its players dressed in fifteenth century costume. The game marks the unusual decision by the lord of the castle to give his daughter's hand in marriage away to whichever of her two determined suitors should win, rather than letting them fight a duel over her.