Guide of Vicenza, Italy

Vicenza, Italy

The Paleoveneti settled here some centuries before Christ, as can be seen from the archeological finds. During the period of Roman domination, the city was organized as a "castrum". In Piazza Duomo, under Palazzetto Proti, the "Roman Cryptoporticus", part of an ancient patrician house, may be visited.

The early Middle Ages saw Vicenza become the seat of a Lombard dukedom and in 899 the city was destroyed by barbarian invaders. It was after this that the inner circle of walls that encloses the urban centre was built.In the 13th century Ezzelino III da Romano, known as "The Tyrant", successfully took posession of a large territory and Vicenza became the centre of his signory. On Ezzelino's death, in 1259, Padua extended its dominion over part of our province until Verona's Scaligeri took over at the beginning of the 14th century.

At the beginning of the 15th century, Vicenza agreed to join the "Serenissima", the Republic of Venice, and remained part of it until Napoleon brought to an end the centuries-old history of the Venetian state in 1797. In the course of the three "Venetian" centuries, Vicenza was transformed, acquired architectural riches and became on of the major artistic centers of Italy.

In December 1994, Vicenza was included in the UNESCO's World Heritage list in recognition that its Palladian architectural treasures are to be considered of exceptional interest and of universal value.

Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, known as Andrea Palladio, was beyond a shadow of doubt on of the greatest Italian architects of the 16th century. From about 1540 to the day of his death he created imposing civic buildings and transformed the appearence of Vicenza.
Palladio was attentive to the lessons to be learned from the ancients, and he undertook three journeys to Rome to improve his knowledge of the classical world and assisted in the publication of Vitruvius' treatise "De architectura".

Strolling around Vicenza, one can admire his public buildings, the Palladian Basilica and the "Loggia del Capitaniato", and the aristocratic rediecnes of the Porto, Barbaran and Thiene families. Two indispensable stops for those waiting to appreciate Palladio's achievement are the Villa Capra, know as "La Rotonda", so dear to Goethe and to the film director Joseph Losey, and the Teatro Olimpico, his last work.

The territory around the city preserves an extraordinary treasure: hundreds of villas that mark centuries of Venetian culture. Almost all of the country residences designed by Andrea Palladio are to be found in Vicenza's contryside: Villa Godi Malinverni, Villa Vamarana Bressan, Villa Da Porto Predrotti, Villa Caldogno and many others besides.