Vicenza

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ABOVE: Columns in the Piazza delle Biade with statues of the Winged Lion of St. Mark (erected in 1464)  and Christ (1640).

More Vicenza sightseeing

The Basilica and the Teatro Olimpico are merely two of the many sights and sites that contribute to Vicenza's charm.

After leaving the Teatro Olimpico, walk around the corner to the Azienda Promozione Turistica, or APT Vicenza, which is the city's official tourist office. It's located on the Piazza Matteotti, at the foot of the Corso Andrea Palladio which runs through the center of town. Ask for the free tourist map and use the numbered legend to find more than three dozen historic buildings, churches, and museums in the city center. (Most are in the pedestrian zone, which is shown in yellow on the map.)

Just across the street is the Palazzo Chiericati, which houses the excellent Museo Civico or city history and art museum. The building, whose colonnaded façade might be described as "Gone With the Wind meets Italian Baroque," was designed in 1550 and took nearly a century to complete.

For more details on Vicenza's monuments, churches, and Palladian villas, consult any of the guidebooks that I've described on this article's Practical Information page. If you're an architect or architecture student, Caroline Constant's The Palladio Guide is an indispensable companion. (The 148-page book is a complete catalog to the buildings of Andrea Palladio.)

Next page: Hotels in Vicenza

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