Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Giambattista Piazzetta's swirling, high-drama 1729 masterpiece
The Ecstasy of St Francis
.
LA ROTONDA
( 049 879 13 80;
www.villalarotonda.it
; Via della Rotonda 45; villa/gardens €10/5; gardens 10am-noon &
3-6pm Tue-Sun mid-Mar-mid-Nov, to 5pm mid-Nov-mid-Mar, villa open Wed & Sat only)
No matter how you
look at it, this villa is a show-stopper: the namesake dome caps a square base, with
identical colonnaded facades on all four sides. This is one of Palladio's most admired cre-
ations, inspiring variations across Europe and the USA, including Thomas Jefferson's
Monticello (La Rotonda's late owner, Mario di Valmarana, was a retired University of Vir-
ginia architecture professor; he died in 2010).
Inside, the circular central hall is covered from the walls to the soaring cupola with
trompe l'oeil
frescoes. Catch bus 8 or 13 (€1.50) from in front of Vicenza's train station,
or just walk (about 25 minutes).
HISTORIC BUILDING
VILLA VALMARANA 'AI NANI'
( 0444 32 18 03;
www.villavalmarana.com
; Stradella dei Nani 8; adult/reduced €9/6; 10am-12.30pm & 3-6pm
Tue-Sun Mar-Oct, 10am-12.30pm Tue-Fri, 10am-12.30pm & 2.30-4.30pm Sat & Sun Nov-Jan)
From La Rotonda,
a path leads about 500m to the elegantly neoclassical Villa Valmarana 'ai Nani', where the
interior shelters 1757 frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo and his son Giandomenico. Giam-
battista painted the Palazzina wing with his signature mythological epics, while his son
painted the Foresteria with rural, carnival and Chinese themes.
Nicknamed 'ai Nani' (gnomes) for the 17 garden-gnome statues around the perimeter
walls, this estate, with its carefully maintained grounds, is a superb spot for the occasional
summer concert; check dates online.
HISTORIC BUILDING
