Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rob you blind (you'll fork out around
70 for the cruise and three villas, before
the optional lunch). You'll save a small fortune by arranging to see the Pisani and
Fóscari villas by public transport; from Padua to Venice, there are
hourly ACTV
buses
(
€
1.50; 90-min. trip)
that go past both villas.
From Padua, the first mansion on the boat tour is
Villa Pisani
(Strà;
%
049-
502074;
€
6, or
€
2.50 if you only visit the park and garden with its famous hedge
maze; Oct-Mar 9am-4pm, rest of year 9am-7pm),
built in the 18th century and
chiefly known for the Tiepolo fresco on the ballroom ceiling. Commissioned for
Doge Alvise Pisani in 1735, it was bought by Napoleon for his stepson in 1807;
later, it became the site of the first meeting between Hitler and Mussolini in 1934.
The only Brenta villa designed by Palladio is
Villa Fóscari
(Mira;
%
041-
5203966; www.lamalcontenta.com;
€
6; May-Oct only Tues-Sun 9:30am-noon and
2:30pm-6pm),
which is also called Villa Malcontenta (The Unhappy Woman),
and dates from the 16th century. If you arrive under your own steam, you'll need
to have booked a guided tour, which costs
€
7. Near Fóscari is
Barchessa
Valmarana
(Mira;
%
041-4266387 or
%
041-5609350;
€
6; usually open Apr-Oct
Tues-Sun 9:30am-noon and 2:30-6pm),
where visitors are led on a half-hourly
guided tour.
Vicenza
The splendor of Vicenza is world renowned, and is principally associated with
Andrea Palladio, the father of Renaissance architecture, who began his career here
when he moved from Padua at age 16 to start his trade as an apprentice stone-
mason. Today, thanks to Palladio (real name: Andrea di Pietro della Gondola),
Vicenza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a wealthy and prosperous one at
that; besides the myriad architectural monuments, the city's business folk count
textiles, gold, and silicon chips among the profitable enterprises that have upheld
the entrepreneurial spirit of this lofty town.
In conjunction with UNESCO, the city's government has done a superb job
of preserving its built treasures, making it feel much like a big-budget film set
inviting close-up inspection to check that those buildings are really historical
monuments. Walking through the cobblestone streets, you'll be struck by the
sheer volume of imposing
palazzi
and gracious public buildings that loom, side
by side, as testament to Palladio's stylistic coup; in the town alone, he was respon-
sible for more than 10 different projects.
Vicenza is a mere 20-minute train ride from Padua (from
€
2.45), and there is
no shortage of connections. You'll arrive at the station in
Piazza Stazione
(
Campo
Marzio;
%
0444-325046),
from where you walk directly along the broad Viale
Roma, lined with cheap stalls, until you reach the Piazza Castello. From here, the
immense Corso Palladio sweeps northeast through the center of the town, practi-
cally dividing it in two. As you head along Corso Palladio, wonderful monuments
await your inspection.
Follow Corso Palladio to the very end, and you'll arrive at the helpful
tourist
information office
(Piazza Matteotti, 12;
%
0444-320854; www.vicenzae.org; 9am-
1pm and 2-6pm, mid-Oct to mid-Mar closes at 5:30pm),
situated right next to
two of the city-run attractions, both associated with Palladio. They'll tell where
and how to purchase the cumulative admission ticket known as the
Card
Musei
(
€
8), which gets you into the city's main museums. For
€
11 you can
€
