A Rainy Day Walk in Vicenza – Part 1

Hello friends. I want to tell you about a walk I took in the city of Vicenza, located in northern Italy between Verona and Venice. This city is the home of the great architect Andrea Palladio. People from all over the world come here to see his masterpieces and to wander through a peaceful Italian city away from tourist crowds. Honestly there aren't many locals in the center either, since it's closed to car traffic, cyclists and scooter riders. So the only way to explore is on foot, discovering the beautiful architecture, the atmosphere and the silence. That’s quite rare in Italy.

The day I took this walk, the weather in Vicenza was cloudy. It looked like the rain had stopped, so I could finally start exploring. I began my walk at Piazza del Castello. I had originally planned to start at another spot, Giardini Salvi, but it was under restoration and there was no way to enter. Giardini Salvi is an important place in the city. The gardens were first opened to the public in 1592, then remained closed for many years and were reopened in 1909.

The most eye-catching structure in the garden is Loggia Valmarana, built by Palladio’s students. This building with six Doric columns resembles a Greco-Roman temple and stands above the Seriola Canal that runs through the city center. The Valmarana family bought the garden and the nearby castle, hoping to turn the place into a meeting spot for intellectuals and scholars.

I reached Piazza del Castello. First let me mention a medieval tower built in the 12th century. This tower used to be part of a castle owned by the Scaligero family. They were influential in Vicenza for 125 years. I’ll talk more about them later. The tower had been in ruins for many years, but in 2018 it was fully restored and opened to visitors.

The best view in Vicenza, however, is from a church with the same name located on a nearby hill. There is no public transportation to get there, but you can reach it either by car or a 30 to 40-minute walk. The views from the top are really stunning.

In the square there is also a statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi. He wasn’t born in Vicenza but in Nice. Still, he was a true cosmopolitan. He fought not only in Italy but in many parts of the world for people to freely establish their identities and nations. He played a major role in the unification of Italy. When the Kingdom of Italy was founded, he had made the greatest contribution. He also took part in battles around Vicenza against the Austrians.

Next I headed toward the first Palladio building, Palazzo Piovini, which was built in 1568. But first I came across a rather incomplete-looking structure on the right. It’s Palazzo Porto, with three columns. This is one of two projects Palladio designed for the very wealthy Porto family. As you can see it was never finished. I read a nice metaphor for it on a website: this building looks like a house that is dressed but has no shoes or hat. Maybe leaving it like this was the right choice.

Many of Palladio’s unfinished buildings were completed by his student Vincenzo Scamozzi. He was Palladio’s most talented student. Palladio was born in Padua, which I recently visited. It’s twice the size of Vicenza but still a small and very beautiful city. I’ll talk about that in another post.

I slowly approached the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunciata. There are 23 buildings in Vicenza that were built directly by Andrea Palladio. In addition, there are 10 villas around the city designed by him. This is really rare. It’s surprising that an architect of this scale built so many structures not in capitals like Vienna, Prague, Rome or Milan but in a city that was considered a provincial town at the time. Of course, Palladio also worked in Venice. Still it’s remarkable how much of his legacy is concentrated here. As you walk through the streets, you often come across his works.

I arrived at the monument to Victor Emmanuel II. They used to call him the Gallant King and he is still known by that name. He was the first king of Italy, the first leader to unify the country. Though, it must be said, he wasn’t very active in the unification process. That work was mostly done by Camillo Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Speaking of Palladio I can’t skip his signature style, classicism. Today we’re walking among buildings in exactly that style. I arrived at a restaurant called Righetti. What’s special about this place is that you can enjoy Italian food very quickly and at a very affordable price. It’s fast because you grab a plate, the staff serves what you ask for and then you go to the counter. They don’t check what you take; the system runs entirely on trust. Mostly locals come here. I had been inside before and was really impressed.

I want to point out a small detail that I think no tourist would notice. Somewhere it says 1848. That was the year of uprisings all across Italy. These events are seen as the beginning of the Risorgimento, the process of Italy’s unification. At the time, Italians wanted to rid themselves of foreign rule. Austrians dominated the north and the Bourbons partially controlled the south. Vicenza also experienced an uprising in 1848.

The spot marked with 1848 is actually a monument called Memoriale Palla di Canone. It has a figure of a cannonball. It might symbolize that failed uprising, because in 1849, after solving their problems in Vienna, the Austrians came and crushed the locals.

In general the cobblestone streets here are beautiful. The recent rain gave the stones a wonderful shine.

With a lovely view I arrived in front of the cathedral. There is a stylish plaque here. In Vicenza plaques like this are common and they tell the history of the building you’re in front of. This one says Torre dei Loschi, a tower from the 12th century. Vicenza is like an open-air museum. The city seems to have realized that its greatest value and profit come from preserving its old architecture and opening it to tourism. Commercial life, schools, universities and workplaces have moved outside the old city walls. The center is only for tourists. But life goes on outside the city, cars pass, people live. Here, it’s very quiet. While Rome or Milan have crowded streets at this moment, here there’s almost no one.

The construction of the cathedral began in 1482. Palladio didn’t complete the project, but he did design the dome. Unfortunately, during World War II the cathedral was heavily damaged. The main part collapsed and only the facade remained. The rebuilding was completed in 2002.

To the left there’s a separate bell tower. It’s interesting that it’s not connected to the main building. Its foundation dates back to the 12th century and the rest is from the 14th century. There are five bells inside, the oldest one from the 10th century. While walking through a side street, I heard the bells. Maybe all of them were ringing, or just one. I’m not sure.

I’ll share the rest of my Vicenza walk in a second post. For now, goodbye dear friends.