A tour of Vicenza. Vicenza - the pearl of the architect Palladio

Vicenza is a symbol of high culture, jewelry, fashion and a favorite platform for famous gallerists. Vicenza is the city where one of the most famous architects of the world, Andrea Palladio, lived and worked, the founder of a whole direction in architecture, Palladianism.

23 architectural sites and 3 villas in the city are UNESCO cultural heritage. In the suburbs of Vicenza are 16 more villas Palladio

The symbol of the "golden" city, Villa "Rotunda", is an absolute perfection, a Greek temple with a huge dome, perfectly inscribed in the landscape. Next to the Rotunda on a panoramic hill flaunts another villa of the ancient aristocratic Venetian family Valmaran "Villa of Dwarfs". These "temples of the gods" look at the protected area "Valley of Silence". At the foot of the hills "Monte Berico" is the old city, built up in plan by the ancient Romans.

The main street, Corso Palladio, delights the eye with its majestic white stone palaces and leads to the central Piazza Signoros. The magnificent basilica of Andrea Palladio is a white-stone lace with serlians and a balustrade decorated with Renaissance statues, sheltered on its terrace a luxurious summer panoramic cafe and many jewelry shops.

Nearby are the Palace of the Captain, the Church of St. Vincenzo and Monte di Pieta, the city tower and the Palazzo del Comune. The famous Dominican church of the 14th century "Santa Corona" keeps a holy relic, a thorn of the crown of thorns of Jesus. For this richest monastery in his time, the brilliant artist Giovanni Bellini wrote the canvas “The Baptism of Christ”.

Palazzo Chierecati Arch. Palladio is an art gallery of artists from the Venetian school of painting (Mantegna, Veronese, Tiepolo, Tintoretto, etc.).

Vicenza is home to the world’s first indoor theater and one of Palladio’s most famous projects, the Olimpico Theatre. The most prominent representative of Palladianism in tsarist Russia, Giacomo Quarenghi, built the Hermitage Theatre on the model of the Olympic Theatre in Vicenza.

The theater is operational. Unique historical sets with the effect of optical illusion still inspire and accompany artists and musicians from all over the world.