Durant and Cheryl ImbodenDurant & Cheryl Imboden's
Venice for Visitors
veniceforvisitors.com
"Best of the Web" - Forbes and The Washington Post
Custom Search

Venice Travel Guide


Pre-Trip Planning:


Transportation:


Exploring Venice:


Mainland:


More Resources:


Partner Links:

Select Italy
Custom trip planning, museum and opera tickets, food & wine activities, weddings, honeymoons, and more.

Short-Term Car Leases
Do you live outside the EU? Save on car rental with a Peugeot 'Buy Back'  lease or Renault Eurodrive.

Vicenza

Page 3
Continued from page 2

photo

ABOVE: The stage of the Teatro Olimpico, showing the perspective stage set through the proscenium arch. INSET BELOW: Entrance and amphitheatre with loggia.

Teatro Olimpico

Our own favorite "must see" attraction in Vicenza is the Teatro Olimpico, which was Andrea Palladio's final work. The theatre, built above the dungeons of a ruined castle, was begun just six months before Palladio's death in 1580 and completed by his son, Silla Palladio, and the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi in 1585. Today, it's the oldest surviving indoor theatre in Europe.

photoThe Teatro Olimpico is on the Piazza Matteotti, around the corner from the tourist office and just a few blocks northeast of the Basilica. You enter through the brick walls of the old castle. A path leads through the Olimpico Gardens and into the theatre building, part of which was converted from the city's former prison.

photoThe centerpiece of the building is the cavea, or auditorium, with its rectangular proscenium stage and steep rows of curved stadium-style seating. (Some of the wooden seats are the original 16th Century panels, so be careful to walk only on the steps unless you want to be barked at by the guard who keeps a close watch on visitors from her seat near the door.)

A balustrade and a row of statues line the back of the cavea, and the restored ceiling is covered with paintings from 1914 that were based on drawings from 1620.

photoThe star attraction, however, is the stage with its permanent set, "The Seven Cities of Thebes," which was designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi. The street behind the central proscenium arch slants upwards, and that--combined with the alignment of the building façades that line the street--creates an illusion of perspective as the viewer's gaze is drawn toward a distant vanishing point. (During our visit, a local guide explained how the illusion of distance was maintained by using smaller actors toward the back of the set.)

The Teatro Olimpico also has a small bookstore and postcard stand in the handsomely decorated lobby, where you can buy the Guide Teatro Olimpico as a souvenir.

The theatre is still used for plays, concerts, and festival performances. (See the Italian-language Teatro Olimpico Web site). Visiting hours depend on the time of year.

Next page: More sightseeing


In this article:



Hotel tip: Location can be important when choosing a hotel in Venice or on the mainland. Before booking, read our No. 1 Warning and Venice Hotel Recommendations by Area.


Venice canal reflections

A water taxi ride to Venice Airport
A warning about water taxis

Venice Railroad Station: a vaporetto view
Long lines at Venice Airport
Free boat trips to Murano

Need to pee? Prepare to pay
The perils of overpacking
Flood warning: the sound of sirens

Stupid tourist tricks
Johnny Depp's palazzo
Venetian daily life


Maggie in Venice

From Maggie in Venice:

A dog's life in Venice
A Beagle boards a water bus
Venice Carnival for dogs


Venice cruise review:


Europe for Visitors  |  Rome for Visitors  |  Paris for Visitors  |  Europe for Cruisers  |

About us  |  Contact  |  Testimonials  |  Audience  |  Disclosures  |  Privacy  |

Copyright © 1996-2012 Durant Imboden, Cheryl Imboden, and their licensors.
All rights reserved.