Vicenza

Vicenza is a city located in North Eastern Italy. The city and the surrounding countryside and hills are particularly famous for the many works, and particularly the Villas, by Palladio. Because of the architectonic contributions of Andrea Palladio, it was included in UNESCO's list of world heritage places in 1994.

Culture and History

Vicenza is an ancient city. In 157 b.D. it entered into the roman empire with the name Vicetia or Vincentia. In 889 it was destroyed by Ungari, and in 1001 it became an episcopal stronghold. In 1404 it became part of the Republic of Venice.

The XVI century was very important for Vicenza because Andrea Palladio built several villas and palaces. During the XIX century, after the fall of Napoleone, the city was taken by Austria, but in 1848 the citizens rebelled against the austrian government and in 1866 it finally became part of the Kingdom of Italy.

Travel to Vicenza - Visa Requirements

There are two ways to arrive to Vicenza. One is by car, the other is by train.

By train

The railstation of Vicenza is on the line connecting Milano (Milan) to Venezia (Venice).

All kind of trains pass through Vicenza: Eurostar, InterCity, EuroCity, InterRegionale, Regionale, InterCityNight, EuroNight, Espresso. More info on Trenitalia [1].

A 50 minute ride from Venice.

By car

Padova is connected through the national highway network

• A4 - Torino-Milano-Venezia-Trieste
• A31 - Vicenza-Piovene Rocchette

Buses to Vicenza

Vicenza is connected to other cities with a bus servirce offered by Ferrovie Tramvie Vicentine [2] . It is a less comfortable service than train, but it can reach several places that don't have a railstation.

Tours and Getting around Vicenza

Vicenza tourist attractions and sightseeing

Landmarks

• Basilica Palladiana or "Pallazzo della Ragione" (1549-1617) is a massive structure on one of the main squares (Piazza dei Signori), designed by the architect Palladio, who seems to have been responsible for many of the famous buildings in and around Vicenza. It still has the old clock tower from a previous building on that site.

• Loggia del Capitanio right in front of Basilica Palladiana on Piazza dei Signori. Also made by Palladio around 1571, but in red brick without any stucco.

• Teatro Olimpico on Piazza Matteotti is another of the many buildings in Vicenza and its surroundings designed by Palladio (dating from the 1580s). It's a wooden theatre, with the audience arranged in a compact half-circle, most noted for its use of perspective to give the impression of a very deep stage. It can be visited for itself, or supposedly is still used for some performances.

Museums

• Palazzo Chiericati, another landmark by Palladio, opposite the Teatro Olimpico, is home to the Museo Civico. It has a collection of paintings, most from northern Italy with some from further afield. The main collection requires a ticket, but some other rooms are free to visit (at least, were during an April 2007 visit). In the freely-accessible section, there's an amusingly unusual ceiling painting - people and animals are painted from the 'natural' perspective.

Vicenza city tours

Learn

Work

Vicenza souvenirs and shopping

Vicenza Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

People from Vicenza are often teased because of the recipe of the Roast Cat (Gato a la Visentina). Although it isn't prepared any more, this recipe still remains in the memory of people as a sign of the bad times when people could hardly survive. So don't be scared because of it, consider it just a joke and don't mind if they tell you that cats and rabbits taste the same. However as a matter of fact, if you go to buy rabbit in a supermarket, it is usually sold with its head, just to re-assure you that it is really a rabbit and not a cat. However, apart from these picturesque stories, you do not need to be afraid to be served a cat for lunch or dinner.

There are many typical dishes. For example the "Baccalà alla Vicentina": this is stockfish left to soak for days in flowing water and then cooked for hours at a very low flame. It is served usually with "polenta" prepared with maize flour. Once food of poor people is now considered a delicacy.

Or you can try the "Bigoli co l'arna". Bigoli are a kind of thick spaghetti made with flour and eggs (normal spaghetti are without eggs) while "arna" means duck.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Vicenza nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

You absolutely have to try the Spritz, a mixture of white wine, water and usualli Campari or Aperol. People usually drink it before lunch or dinner, talking with friends and eating chips. It is served in every bar or pub of the city at any time.

But do not forget that Veneto is also the land of Prosecco. Maybe it is less trendy than a Spritz, but especially with some appetizers a good glass of Prosecco is for sure worth to be considered.

Vicenza cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

Budget

• Ostello di Vicenza, V. Giuriolo, 9, ☎ 0444/540222(fax: 0444/547762), [3]. 17.00€ (with common bath), 20.00€ (with private bath).  

• Camping Vicenza, Strada Pelosa, 239, 36100 - Vicenza (VI)(2 km south east, located at the exit of the Vicenza-East tollgate), ☎ +39 0444 582311, [4].  

Mid-range

• NH Jolly Tiepolo, Viale S. Lazzaro, 110, +39 0444 954011 [5]. The NH Jolly Tiepolo is a modern and elegant structure, built in 2000. The location between the exhibition centre, shopping district and the historical district, makes the hotel the perfect place whether you are travelling for business or leisure purposes.

Splurge

Contact

Stay safe

Cope

Get out

• Basilica di Monte Bèrico, south of the city, is a well-known Catholic church up on a hill. The Virgin Mary reportedly appeared twice there in 1426. Today many pilgrims travel to see it, and even normal residents of Vicenza visit regularly.

• La Rotonda, also just outside the city, is a famous villa by Palladio. Its most notable feature is that the exterior looks the same (and very impressive) from all four sides. It's still used as a residence today, so visiting hours are limited - check before you go if you want to do more than look up from the roadside.

• Bassano del Grappa
• Marostica
• Recoaro
• Asiago

This page was last edited by Stefan Ertmann. Based on work by Tulio Hernandez, Ottavio Campana and Mattia Vaccari, Wikitravel user(s) Jonboy, Airin, Seafarer and WTDuck2 and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license