Vicenza — Palladio's City

Vicenza lies about 70km west of Venice in central Veneto and is an easy day trip, reached in roughly 50 minutes by Trenitalia trains from Venice Santa Lucia. The whole historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for the work of Andrea Palladio, the sixteenth-century architect whose classical style shaped buildings across Europe and North America. The center is flat and compact, a short walk from the station, so it suits a day on foot. A morning begins on the elegant Corso Andrea Palladio, the main boulevard lined with noble palazzi, leading to Piazza dei Signori and the Basilica Palladiana, whose gleaming white loggias and copper-green roof are the city's signature; the adjacent Torre Bissara rises above the square. Close by, the Teatro Olimpico of 1585, Palladio's final work and completed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, is the world's oldest surviving indoor theater, famous for its astonishing trompe-l'oeil stage set of a city street. The afternoon can take in the Palazzo Chiericati art gallery and a walk or short bus ride to the city's southeastern hills for the Villa Almerico Capra, known as La Rotonda, Palladio's perfectly symmetrical domed villa, and the neighboring Villa Valmarana ai Nani with its Tiepolo frescoes; both keep limited opening days, so checking ahead is wise. Vicenza is also Italy's gold-working capital and a prosperous, refined city with good food: local specialties include baccalà alla vicentina, salt cod stewed slowly with milk and onions, and bigoli pasta, paired with Breganze or nearby Soave wines, with a sit-down lunch around EUR 20 to 35. Spring and autumn give the most comfortable sightseeing weather, and a single ticket card covering the Teatro Olimpico and civic museums saves money for those visiting several sites. With its quick rail link and concentrated wealth of architecture, Vicenza rewards a focused day, especially for anyone interested in the roots of classical building.