On Thursday we decided to make our first excursion outside of Padova. We chose Vicenza. We’d been there 12 years ago during a business trip to Aviano. If you ever see Cinzia wearing her gold hoop earrings, ask here where she bought them and she’ll tell you Vicenza. Also, if you ask her where she first tasted truffles, you’ll get the same answer. Vicenza is a short train ride from Padova – only 3 stops away and the trip is under 30 minutes.
We set the alarm for 7:15am and made our way to the train station. The ticket is only €4,25 each way. We were arriving in Vicenza before we knew it, and our first stop was a cafè. They had warm brioche fresh out of the oven that were filled with pastry cream and dusted with powdered sugar. I’d never had a warm before and this one was amazing! Really. Before leaving, Cinzia stopped to use the ladies room and was greeted with “the hole” configuration.
Cinzia led the tour and as luck would have it, it was market day. Vendors were set up all throughout the city streets and filled the main piazza. Lots of delicious seafood vendors with many offering cooked items as well as raw. Always on the lookout for tablecloth, Cinzia found a nice lemon print that would fit our table back in Florida.
We popped in a few churches before making our way to the Teatro Olimpico and buying two museum cards. For €15 they give you access to the Teatro Olimpico (which is €11 on its own) plus the Gallerie d’Italia di Palazzo Leoni Montanari, Chiesa di Santa Corona, Palladio Museum, and several other museums and palaces – and it’s good for 7 days! The Teatro Olimpico is a beautiful old theater (apparently the first ever indoor theater) that was designed by Andrea Palladio and built between 1580-1585. The various street scenes, all constructed in perspective, are the mainstay of the oldest stage set still in operation. It’s really something to see. An English-speaking couple in front of us had hired an art historian to guide them through Vicenza. We listened in and learned that the city was in need of funding to complete the theater. They offered wealthy families the opportunity to have a statue made and placed in the theater. These plaster statues were made in the likeness of the male donor dressed as a Roman soldier. Dozens of these statues fill the theater.
We popped in a few churches before making our way to the Teatro Olimpico and buying two museum cards. For €15 they give you access to the Teatro Olimpico (which is €11 on its own) plus the Gallerie d’Italia di Palazzo Leoni Montanari, Chiesa di Santa Corona, Palladio Museum, and several other museums and palaces – and it’s good for 7 days! The Teatro Olimpico is a beautiful old theater (apparently the first ever indoor theater) that was designed by Andrea Palladio and built between 1580-1585. The various street scenes, all constructed in perspective, are the mainstay of the oldest stage set still in operation. It’s really something to see. An English-speaking couple in front of us had hired an art historian to guide them through Vicenza. We listened in and learned that the city was in need of funding to complete the theater. They offered wealthy families the opportunity to have a statue made and placed in the theater. These plaster statues were made in the likeness of the male donor dressed as a Roman soldier. Dozens of these statues fill the theater.
Our next stop was the Gallerie d’Italia di Palazzo Leoni Montanari. This beautiful palace housed room after room full of art pieces – ancient pots, statues, paintings, and frescos. The guidebook described it as "a riot of putti". An added bonus was the orchestra that was practicing in the center room on the 2nd floor. The acoustics were such that you could hear them perfectly in every room on every floor. They played classical pieces, including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. At times I thought I was in A Clockwork Orange. Ol’ Ludwig van. But the absolute masterpiece of the museum was “The Fall of the Rebel Angels” by Agostin Fasolato of Padova. This sculptor depicts the battle between the good, led by the Archangel Michael, and the army of evil, with Satan at its head. It’s a truly amazing piece, carved out of a piece of Carrara marble with 60 figures in a pyramid. The intricate work took Fasolato 12 years to complete. I thought that it must be a copy – maybe the original was measured with a laser and this copy made from resin, but the docent standing guard in the room told us that this was the original. I can’t believe it wasn’t better protected. One idiot tourist, likely an American, could easily damage the sculptor. I still think it must be a copy. (See the video in the Video Gallery.)
For lunch, Cinzia had picked out a highly rated, out-of-the-way, osteria that even the museum staff agreed was one of the best in the city. We were the first to arrive, though it was not yet 1pm. The chef and server were just finishing up their lunch. We started with a soprassata that was made by one of the chef’s friends. Fantastic – nothing like the Boar’s Head stuff back home. This place had a very small menu – just two pasta and two meat options. Cinzia went with the mountain gnocchi which were made with just buttermilk and flour and topped with a heavily smoked cheese. Not wanting macaroni with tomato sauce, or the chicken option, I tried the veal liver. I’m not a liver eater and it was just okay.
After lunch we walked through the town as the street vendors were closing up and driving off. We found a gelateria on a quite piazza to sit for a while before continuing our tour at the Chiesa di Santa Corona (designed by Palladio and also his final resting place). If you feel an unusual relic story coming up, you’re right. As the name of the church might suggest, they have one of the thorns from Christ’s crown. After scouring the church, we found that the holy thorn was housed in a jeweled gold holder and that was secured in behind gold doors in an altarpiece. Apparently the thorn was given to the bishop of Vicenza by King Louis IX of France and the church was built to house it in 1261 (later rebuilt by Palladio). Oh, those French jokesters. The bishop was later beatified, but Louis was canonized.
Our last stop was the Palladio Museum. Originally a palazzo built in the late 1570’s, it’s now a museum which houses a number of important paintings. I’m sure it is noteworthy, but the day was getting late and we had all of about 30 minutes to see everything before they closed at 5pm. Several docents asked us if we wanted to see the attic (apparently that closed at 4:45pm), but we declined. Maybe something super-amazing was housed there. Who knows? It’ll have to wait until another trip.
With an eye on the train schedule, we hunted for a nice restaurant or pizzeria, but none were to be had, so we hopped the 8:36pm train back to Padova. Once at the station we took the tram to Piazza dei Frutti and got the last opened table on the piazza at Osteria al Peronio, the restaurant we’d eaten at the previous week with Rich and Mikyong. Their Siciliana pizza had the perfect mix of anchovies, capers, olives, and cheese – and Cinzia’s ended her mushroom pizza with a sorbetto. It was a perfect end to a fun day in Vicenza.
With an eye on the train schedule, we hunted for a nice restaurant or pizzeria, but none were to be had, so we hopped the 8:36pm train back to Padova. Once at the station we took the tram to Piazza dei Frutti and got the last opened table on the piazza at Osteria al Peronio, the restaurant we’d eaten at the previous week with Rich and Mikyong. Their Siciliana pizza had the perfect mix of anchovies, capers, olives, and cheese – and Cinzia’s ended her mushroom pizza with a sorbetto. It was a perfect end to a fun day in Vicenza.