All the charm of Venice – all to yourself

Forget its more famous neighbours. Vicenza has fantastic food, architecture and shops galore – and is the perfect short-break destination, says Tim Jepson

Some cities are lucky. An idyllic setting, perhaps, a dazzling cathedral or a world-class art gallery. Vicenza, in northeast Italy, is luckier than most, thanks to the arrival in 1524 of Padua-born Andrea Palladio, one of most influential architects in history.

Palladio left 23 buildings in the city, helping create one of Italy’s most elegant old centres, along with a further 24 villas in the surrounding countryside, a legacy that has earned Vicenza and its hinterland World Heritage status. But the city has a problem, or rather two problems – Venice and Verona – both less than 45 minutes distant by train, popular places whose siren call leaves Vicenza all but unvisited.

So much the better for those who do come, for this is a perfect destination, even by Italian standards, and even without Palladio. Wonderful food, fine churches, art galleries, a surfeit of shopping – Vicenza has all the ingredients for an excellent short break – along with an affluent air and an easy-going charm that make it a pleasure to explore.

Piazzas and pastries

Vicenza’s historic core is small – one of its charms – and revolves around a main street, Corso Andrea Palladio, and a spectacular square, Piazza dei Signori, once the focus of the ancient Roman city.

The Corso’s gracious medieval arcades shelter many of Vicenza’s most appealing shops – plenty of food, fashion and design – interspersed with a variety of architectural gems by Palladio and his followers. Seek out, in particular, the Palazzo Thiene, Palazzo da Schio, Palazzo Braschi Brunello and Palazzo Pagello.

The piazza contains one of Palladio’s earliest fully realised works, and also one of his most dazzling, the immense basilica, a medieval building once close to collapse until the architect enclosed it in a frame of classical arches, arcades and columns.

Admire the building from Antica Pasticceria Sorarù (Piazzetta Andrea Palladio 17), a historic café and pastry shop, either from the beautiful old interior or the tables outside.

Sleep and eat, Palladian style

Also in the shadow of the basilica is Il Grottino (ilgrottinovicenza.it), a popular central meeting place for a glass of wine or aperitivo. It’s also recommended for its spunciotti, Vicenza’s version of Venice’s cicchetti (finger food and tapas-like small plates). If you want to sleep in a Palladian masterpiece nearby, Palazzo Valmarana Braga (00 39 34772 04658; palazzovalmaranabraga. it) has seven spacious double apartments for rent from £73 a night.

Alternatively, Relais Santa Corona (0444 324678; relaissantacorona.it) offers elegant rooms from £95, while Portico Rosso (doubles from £83; 00 39 34808 47714; porticorosso.it) is a quiet B&B with a lovely garden 10 minutes’ walk from the Corso.

Architectural high drama

Architecture buffs could have a field day in Vicenza, but if the finer points of Palladianism leave you cold, at least visit the most obviously striking of the master’s buildings, the Teatro Olimpico (teatrolimpicovicenza.it/en), the world’s oldest surviving indoor theatre and one of northern Italy’s great sights.

Little on the outside prepares you for the breathtaking interior, which is dominated by a classically-inspired stage set; an extraordinary trompe-l’oeil of wood, plaster and stucco imitating marble completed after Palladio’s death to resemble the streets and buildings of an idealised Renaissance city.

Fine churches and great art are minimum requirements in any Italian city and Vicenza has plenty of both, over and above the works of Palladio. Opposite the Teatro Olimpico is the Museo Civico (museicivicivicenza.it), housed in another Palladian masterpiece, the Palazzo Chiericati, and home to major works by Tintoretto, Veronese and more.

Also leave time for Santa Corona (chiesadisantacorona.vicenza.it), celebrated for Giovanni Bellini’s Baptism of

Christ, and perhaps walk to Monte Berico, the cypress-dotted hill that cradles Vicenza, to enjoy the views and Veronese’s Supper of St Gregory the Great in the Basilica di Santa Maria.

Cats, ducks and donkeys

Ignore the jibes of other Italians, who nickname the Vicentini magnagati, or “cat-eaters”, after the rumours that at times poverty drove the locals to feline extremes.

The town has a cuisine all its own, with standout specialities and products that include bigoli all’anatra (a fresh pasta with duck), fario (grilled trout), baccalà alla vicentina (air-dried cod cooked with raisins, garlic and anchovies), Asiago (a cows’ cheese), truffles from the surrounding hills, white Bassano asparagus, peppery sorpressa salami, and – in season – plump cherries from nearby Marostica.

Those with adventurous palates should sample the distinctive sausages from the Valdagno region, distinctive because they contain donkey meat in a mixture of pork, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and red wine.

Try these and other dishes in Al Pestello (alpestello.it), founded in 1910 and a welcoming and informal spot (with outside tables in summer), or Il Ceppo (gastronomiailceppo.com), a superb deli and restaurant right by the Museo Civico.

Antico Guelfo (anticoguelfo.it) is less cosy, but has equally good food, while Il Molo (m.facebook.com/RistoranteIlMolo) – far more contemporary in appearance – offers fish and seafood options.

Out of town

The most famous and influential of the villas around the city, the Villa Capra Valmarana (villalarotonda.it), better known as La Rotonda, lies just under two miles southeast of the city.

See it in conjunction with the nearby Villa Valmarana ai Nani (villavalmarana.com), inspired by Palladio, and beautifully set in gardens that look over vineyards, green hills and feathery lines of poplars. Along with glorious wooden ceilings, original furniture and rippling stone floors is a series of often salacious 18thcentury frescoes by Giovanni Tiepolo and his son, Giandomenico.

Other villas require more travelling. One option is to see some of them (perhaps en route to Venice) on a boat trip from nearby Padua (17 minutes away by train) on the Brenta canal (half-day cruises with villa visits cost from £51pp; full-day cruises from £93pp; battellidelbrenta.it).