Vicenza's Renaissance Exhibition and Palladian Itinerary

Vicenza, a candidate for Italian Capital of Culture 2024, is spotlighting its Renaissance heritage with the exhibition 'La Fabbrica del Rinascimento' at the Basilica Palladiana, running until April 18, 2022. The show explores how 16th-century society shaped the city's growth. Andrea Palladio's architecture, responsible for Vicenza's UNESCO World Heritage status, is visible throughout the city, including the Basilica Palladiana (1546), the Teatro Olimpico (1580, the world's oldest covered theater), Palazzo Chiericati (home to the Museo Civico), and Palazzo Thiene (housing the Pinacoteca with Venetian masters from the 16th-18th centuries). The Palladio Museum at Palazzo Barbarano offers further research. Vicenza's gold district is celebrated at the Museo del Gioiello in the Basilica Palladiana. At Gallerie d'Italia in Palazzo Leoni Montanari, the exhibition 'Come saremo. L'Italia che ricostruisce' (until April 18) features postwar photographs from the Publifoto Archive. The Fondazione Coppola, established in 2018 in the medieval Torrione di Porta Castello, showcases contemporary art by Kevin Cosgrove and Andrea Bianconi. Outside the city, Palladian villas like La Rotonda and Villa Valmarana ai Nani (with frescoes by Giambattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo) are accessible by bike along the Riviera Berica cycle path. Dining options include Matteo Grandi in Basilica, Angolo Palladio, Trattoria Zamboni, Olivieri 1882, and Damini brothers' butcher-restaurant.