Vicenza and its surroundings
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Vicenza is the city of Andrea Palladio, the great Renaissance architect responsible for the Basilica in Piazza dei Signori, the Olimpico theatre and the Rotonda, the most famous Venetian villa.
In the city centre, stroll along the shop-lined Corso, stopping off in a piazza for a coffee or browsing around the antiques market. Just outside the city is the shrine of Madonna di Monte Berico and there are roads leading to the many wonders of the Venetian hills.
Villas
The Brenta River
The Brenta is a navigable canal that connects Padua to the Venetian lagoon. Along its banks stand hundreds of villas, witnesses to an irrepeatable period of wealth and high society living. The river course can easily be followed by car but we do recommend a trip on the Burchiello, a sightseeing boat that stops off at the most beautiful villas and completes its journey downriver just a few steps from St. Mark's Square. Of particular note is that all along the route you will also find a string of restaurants serving fish and sea food specialities.
Venice
Venice is a city for all seasons, with enchanting atmospheres and a calendar of events for every month of the year. Art lovers will be spoilt for choice among the unparalleled wealth of attractions, from historic cafés to great museums.
In Venice, even shopping is an experience to remember, from high fashion to artistic glass, antiques to the many hundreds of other curiosities. Venetian food, which specialises in fish, and its extraordinary restaurants, deserve a chapter all to themselves.
Verona
Verona is one of a handful of Italian cities to be known the world over. The merit for this goes to Romeo and Juliet, and Shakespeare of course, but also to the Arena, with its programme of operas and pop concerts, and to the wonderful atmosphere of the historic city centre, with its many artistic attractions and shopping streets. Visitors will also enjoy discovering the wines of Lake Garda and Valpolicella, from Bardolino to Amarone, not forgetting Soave, a picturesque castle town, and its famous white wines.
Padua
Padua is the city of St. Anthony's Basilica, a destination for pilgrims from around the world, but also a city of art and culture, with frescoes by Giotto at the Scrovegni Chapel, the masterpieces at the Church of the Hermits (Chiesa degli Eremitani), the historic Caffè Pedrocchi... The centre still retains the atmosphere of days gone by, especially around the central piazzas, but also includes elegant shopping streets to stroll along. Further afield are the Euganean Hills, the spas at Abano and the Brenta River, with its rows palladian villas mirrored in the water.
Bassano and Marostica
Bassano del Grappa is a city with a thousand years of history and an elegant atmosphere. The symbol of the city is the Ponte Vecchio bridge spanning the Brenta river and designed by Andrea Palladio, but every square is an enchanting sight, with an event for every feast. In the city centre you will also discover shops and a museum dedicated to ceramic art, an activity of which the city has always been particularly proud. In the city's restaurants the season begins with the white asparagus and gets even better as time goes on. A shot of grappa, the distilled spirit that is the area's real speciality, is always the best way to end a meal.
Marostica is a castle town backed by a chain of beautiful hills. A circle of walls connects the Lower Castle, behind which lies the town, to the Higher Castle, which provides a wide view of the surrounding area. The picturesque piazza is the venue for many different events, the most famous being the chess game played with live pieces and involving 600 people in Renaissance costumes. Don't miss the cherry season, when feasts, markets and food-related events are organised to celebrate this local speciality.