Vicenza is a picturesque city located in the north-east of Italy. It is often called Palladio in honor of the great architect Andrea Palladio. The city is eighty square kilometers in the Veneto region. The nearest major settlements are Verona, Venice and Padova.
The number of inhabitants does not exceed one hundred ten thousand people. The climate is moderately warm. Quite a lot of precipitation falls during the year. The city has a machine-building and textile industry; jewelry is made from precious stones and metals. The town is known to modern fashionistas as the birthplace of famous clothing brands: Dainese, Bottega Veneta, Gas Jeans.
It is famous for the architectural masterpieces of Andrea Palladio Vincenza. Sights form a complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From the history of the city
Researchers of the history of the city find it difficult to name the exact date of its foundation, but are inclined to the fact that it was founded between the XVII and XI centuries BC. e. From 49 BC e. The town belonged to the Roman Empire. After its fall, the Vincenza was ruled by the Lombards, and a little later by the Venetians. In 1797, the city was captured by the French. A year later, it already belonged to the Austrians. Only in 1866 did Vicenza become part of the Italian Empire.
Attractions Vicenza
The town is famous for its natural, historical, cultural and historical monuments. They are carefully guarded by the city authorities and local residents. Every year, thousands of tourists visit Vicenza. Many people visit the sights on their own, “armed” with a city guide. Although, of course, it is more interesting to see memorable places as part of an excursion group.
It is unlikely that when visiting Vicenza, a map with the sights will give you a complete picture of the memorable places of the city. And an experienced guide will tell you many interesting facts from the history of the city and its development.
Olympic Theater
Many tourists visiting Vicenza begin to explore the sights from the oldest existing indoor theater in the world. It was built in 1585 according to the design of the great Andrea Palladio. The construction was the last creation of the master. The magnificent decor of the stage was created using the trompley technique, which was thought up by the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi, who had to complete the theater after the death of Palladio.
Surprisingly, even today these oldest decorations in the world are used.
Villa Godi
The sights of Vicenza in Italy are striking in their diversity, although most of them were created by one master - Palladio. For example, this aristocratic residence is one of the first creations of the famous architect. The villa was built by order of the brothers Pietro, Marcantonio and Girolamo Godi.
Construction work began in 1537 and was completed five years later. Later, the appearance of facades and gardens were slightly modified. Today, tourists arriving from all over the world to Vicenza can see the sights (description, photo) in the colorful guidebook, which can be purchased at all the newsstands of the city.
The building of Villa Godi and the surrounding picturesque garden can be visited by tourists throughout the year. On the ground floor is the Archaeological Museum. Villa Godi is a monumental building that consists of three separate parts. The main hall where guests are welcomed has nothing to do with the decoration of the living quarters.
Stairs are framed by balustrades, and its width corresponds to the width of the middle arch in the loggia. The interior of the villa is decorated with frescoes by Giovanni Zelotti, Gualtiero Padovano and Battista del Moro.
La rotonda
The country residence, which was built for the Vatican official by Paolo Almerico by architect Andrea Palladio, also has a second name - Villa Capra. It rises above Vicenza, located on a hilltop, and is one of the most popular attractions of the city.
In 1591, the Capra brothers became the owners of the villa, from where its second name came. Buildings all over the world were built in the image and likeness of this building - Monticchello Manor (USA), St. Sophia Cathedral (Tsarskoye Selo, Russia), Mereworth Castle (England) and many others.
Palladian Basilica
Like most Vicenza monuments, the attraction is associated with the name of Andrea Palladio. This Renaissance-style building is located in the center of Piazza dei Signori. Experts consider its main feature a loggia with one of the first samples of the so-called Palladian window, which was designed by the very young Andrea Palladio.
In 2007, a large-scale project to restore the ancient basilica was launched. The roof of the building was dismantled into pieces, removing the reinforced concrete floors that were installed after 1945, and replaced them with lighter ones from glued beams. The facade of the basilica was thoroughly cleaned, strengthened and provided with a new illumination. The completion of the restoration was planned for 2008 - the 500th birthday of Andrea Palladio, but the timing of the restoration work was extended. The restoration project cost the treasury of the city fifteen million euros.
Picture gallery
And now we offer you to visit one of the main cultural attractions of Vicenza in Italy. The building, also designed by Andrea Palladio (1550), was intended for Girolamo Chiericati. The magnificent palace was completed only at the end of the XVII century. In 1839, the city authorities bought it from the Kierikati family and arranged a collection of works of art in it. The building was later restored by the architects Miglioranza and Berti.
In 1855, it received its first visitors as a museum. Today there is a collection of sculptures and paintings, rooms for sketches and drawings, the Numismatics Hall. The center of the exhibition is images from the church of San Bartolomeo (now defunct) and the works of Giovanni Bonconcillo, Giovanni Speranza, Cima da Conegliano, Bartolomeo Montagni, and Marcello Fogolino.
Parks
Studying the sights of Vicenza in Italy (you can see the photo in this article), you can not ignore the city park, of which there are four. This is a favorite vacation spot for citizens and travelers.
Next to the train station is Campo Marzo - a park that for a long time belonged to the commune of Vicenza. It was first mentioned in the XII century, when it was called Campus Marcius. At first it was just a meadow, but in 1816, western plane trees were planted here in honor of Franz I, the Austrian emperor. Today they form the Viale Dalmatia tunnel. In addition to plane trees, small groves are scattered in the park, consisting of trees of other species.
The City Park Garden of Salvi is located in Piazzale de Gasperi. It was open to the public in 1592. It was created in the Italian style with magnificent flowerbeds that have a strict geometric shape and labyrinths at the end of the park. Today, Salvi Garden is surrounded by the small river Seriola. Two loggias are reflected in its waters - the Loggia of Longen (1649), built for meetings of scientists and poetry readings and philosophical debates and Palladian (XVI century).
The largest and most popular city park is Querini, located on Viale Aracheli. Its wide green lawns are separated by an alley along which statues of the 17th century are located. To her left are dense thickets of plane trees and acacias.
Be sure to visit another park if you happen to visit Vincenza. The sights of this place are fascinating. Park of Villa Guiccioli is located on Mount Monte Berico. The old villa was built by architect Selva. Today it houses the Risorgimento Museum. A huge and very beautiful park that surrounds the villa is now available for visiting vacationers.
In it you can see about forty species of trees. Their alternation with lawns, various landscapes, lack of symmetry gives this place the appearance of an original romantic garden. Winding gravel paths are laid throughout.
Torre Bissara
The famous city tower of Vicenza. The sights of the city can not be imagined without this structure. The tower faces the Piazza dei Signori, to the famous Palladian Basilica. It stands eighty-two meters high and is one of the tallest buildings in the city.
For the first time, Torre Bissar was mentioned in 1174. It was built next to the palace of the Bissari family on their initiative. In 1229, the Vicenza commune bought both the palace and the tower. Miraculously survived during the devastating earthquake of 1347, in the middle of the XV century the tower was built up to its current height.
Santa Maria Annunchata
Everyone who plans to visit Vicenza in the near future, sights (the description and reviews of tourists confirm this) should be visited without missing a visit to the Cathedral. Its grand dome was designed by Andrea Palladio, according to researchers, he was also the author of the northern side door.
The first church located on this site was consecrated in honor of the holy Great Martyr Eufemia, especially revered in the city. Her relics are today stored in the cathedral. In the VI century, the temple was first renamed and received the name Santa Maria. This was due to the fact that after the Third Ecumenical Council (431), at which the dogma of the Virgin Mary was declared, the temples began to be renamed in her honor. And of course, this affected the Cathedral.
Between the 7th and 8th centuries, the word "Annunchata" was added to the name of the temple, since it was during this period that the celebration of the Annunciation (L'Annunciazione) was widespread.
Church of San Marco
This is a baroque parish church that appeared in the city in the 18th century. Today it houses a collection of works of art dating back to the 18th century, and in the sacristy you can see the original furniture of the same era.
The authorship of this building remains unknown, but there is an assumption that several architects worked on it. The style of the interior is close to the work of Giorgio Massari - the Venetian architect. Some surviving documents mention the name of Giuseppe Marka - a local architect. In addition, it is possible that Francesco Muttoni took part in the construction.
It is known that the facade of the church was designed by Abbot Carlo Corbelli. The temple building has been used since 1725, but it was consecrated only in 1760 in honor of two saints - Theresa of Avila and Jerome.
The facade of the church is Baroque. It consists of two rows of half-columns placed on a high pedestal. At the top of the tympanum are three figures of saints. And at the bottom there are four niches and two more are located a little higher. Inside the temple there is a single nave and six high side chapels. The interior is decorated with paintings by Sebastiano Ricci, Costantino Pasqualotto, Antonio Balestra, Lodovico Buffetti and the brothers Maganza.
Vicenza (Italy), attractions: reviews
The wonderful Italian town attracts tourists from all over the world with its unique monuments. According to the reviews of the latter, the sights of the town are in excellent condition, they are regularly restored, which allows tourists to plunge into the atmosphere of past eras. All tourists claim that Vincenza is a picturesque and very green town, in which there are many parks and squares. Here you can relax very well, enjoying the mild climate and the hospitality of the townspeople, and interesting stories from the life of the city.