My city, Vicenza

I worked a lot on this article, because talking about your own city always makes you to be a bit lengthy and forced to talk about the beauties, noticing the flaws with difficult.
Vicenza is a beautiful city, small in its historic center and therefore easily accessible by foot: it is UNESCO heritage and its architecture, mostly due to the genius of the architect Palladio, is unique, with surprising colors like the watery green of the Basilica Palladiana and with an innate elegance that shines especially in a summer sunset.

Compared to other Venetian cities such as Verona and Venice, tourism in Vicenza is still limited and is often restricted to those groups that include it as a part of a larger tour in the Veneto region or visitors to exhibitions that are increasingly set up in Basilica Palladiana.
We know how to be welcoming, we have excellent Spritz for great aperitifs and you could eat a lot of amazing dishes: by the way, choose Vicenza for a weekend and you will surely be surprised by so much beauty.

Today I would like to help you take a walk around the historic center, through a lot of architecture and curiosity: starting from the station, you will discover parks, gardens and monuments, ending with the majesty of the Teatro Olimpico. In the middle, some advice on where to stop and eat and drink something to refresh. If you need some advices on where to sleep, do not hesitate to ask me and I will have great pleasure to help you.

What to eat?

The “Baccalà alla Vicentina”, our typical cod fish served with polenta, that we eat in the months that contain the "r" inside their name (it's tradition!).

The right places are Da Righetti, a really typical and suggestive self-service restaurant, or at the Bistrot del Ceppo where you can taste even the magic trio of “baccalà fritters”, “baccalà mantecato” and “baccalà salad”. Buy there the traditional “Baccalà alla Vicentina” and take it home with you.

Other great place is the Garibaldi, informal bistro owned by the Michelin-starred chef Lorenzo Cogo and located in Piazza dei Signori under the El Coq restaurant (1 star). Try also la Meneghina, for a good “pezzo” (they call “piece” the slices of focaccia bread with several ingredients on top, baked with a lot of love and care) and an excellent aperitif.

If you like fresh fish, the Molo is the right place.
If instead you prefer to eat vegetarian, La Locanda del Gusto is always a good choice.

What to bring home with you?

A bottle of Grappa, absolutely. The dried cod would be too odorous ... to be transported!
As desserts, Zaleti cookies (with corn flour and raisins) or La Gata, a typical dessert that you find in some patisseries in the area.

Vicenza train station

Campo Marzo

It is one of the largest parks in Vicenza by extension and is located at the bottom of the ascent to Monte Berico, where the Sanctuary of the homonymous Madonna is located: during the festival dedicated to her that takes place every year on September 8th, the park welcomes rides and stalls, including those that cooks “fritola" at the moment, a typical fried dough rolled in sugar.

It also hosts periodical events, such as Vicenza Jazz.

Giardino Salvi

The Giardino Salvi houses inside some statues and is crossed by the Seriola canal which overlooks the Palladian loggia Valmarana and the Longhena loggia.

It is open to the public:
from May to September, from 7.30 to 21
from October to April, from 7.30 to 20

Contrada Mure Porta Castello

Walls and waterways surrounded Vicenza in the Middle Ages and few traces remain today: Piazza Castello and Porta Castello are one of these last testimonies and take their name from the Scaliger castle they represented.
The tower and the door, often tampered with, are what remains of the castle, abandoned in time and purchased in the eighteenth century by the Valmarana family.

Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunciata

The cathedral of Santa Maria Annunciata is the main church of Vicenza, seat of the Bishop and of the Diocesi.
Of paleochristian origin, it underwent several damages and destructions due to a very strong earthquake in about 1100 and was consequently rebuilt several times; the dome, recognizable in style, was designed by the architect Andrea Palladio, as well as probably the north side portal and the Almerico chapel.

Roman cryptoporticus

Dating back to the end of the 1st century BC, the cryptoporticus is the best-preserved example of a private residence located north of the Po.
It is accessed from the entrance located in the current Piazza Duomo and extends under the canonical of the cathedral and Palazzo Roma: it remained in use at least until the fourth century, first as a place to cool off from the sun, then as a pantry of food.

Basilica Palladiana

Basilica Palladiana is the symbol of Vicenza.
Designed by architect Andrea Palladio, it was listed by UNESCO in 1994 on the list of world heritage sites.
On May 9, 2014, the Basilica Palladiana became a National Monument thanks to the bill approved by the Senate Culture Committee on March 27, 2014.
The Basilica Palladiana is open to the public from 24 April to 4 November 2018, from Tuesday to Sunday. During the opening hours, a bar service is also available on the beautiful terrace with the most beautiful view of the city.

Palazzo Trissino

This is the institutional headquarters of the Municipality of Vicenza: it is located between Corso Palladio and Contrà Cavour.
It houses the Sala degli Stucchi, the Mayor's office, the hall of the municipal council and is connected to the Loggia del Capitaniato, which houses the Sala del Consiglio Comunale.

Olympic Theater

The Olympic Theater, also made by Arch. Palladio, is the oldest covered theater in the world. It was built between 1580 and 1585, when it was inaugurated.
Today it is regularly open to the public, located in Piazza Matteotti: it has about 400 seats and hosts prose and music events and it is also possible to request it to host private events.

It is open to the public all year round, from Tuesday to Sunday.
- from 1 September to 30 June: from 9 to 17 (last entry 16.30)
- from 1 July to 31 August: from 10 to 18 (last entry 17.30)

Vicenza train station

Returning now to the station, if you arrived by train, it will be easy both by taking the reverse route or choosing instead to take Viale Giuriolo, Viale Margherita and then Viale del Risorgimento to the station.

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