Immerse yourself in the Renaissance at the Basilica Palladiana
Nestled under the sumptuous vault of the Basilica Palladiana, the exhibition
La Fabbrica del Rinascimento
explores the Vicentine Renaissance in the 16th century. Along a route that combines paintings, drawings, architectural plans, models and sculptures, the visitor discovers the links that unite the painters Paolo Véronèse, Jacopo Bassano, the architect Andrea Palladio and the sculptor Alessandro Vittoria. We can thus see the portrait of Isepe Porto, made by Véronèse, exhibited alongside the sketches and the model that Andrea Palladio made to build the Palazzo Porto, commissioned by the family. It was also at this time that the art market was born. Enough to push the curators of the exhibition to take an interest in the cost of living in the 16th century, to determine the price of works of art at the time in relation to everyday consumer goods. They thus converted the price oforigin of works in number of pigs that could be bought with the same amount at the time ... We are surprised to discover the ridiculous price of certain sublime paintings, loaned by the Louvre or the Prado Museum, today invaluable.
To discover
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Until April 18, 2022. Basilica Palladiana, Piazza dei Signori.
Phone.
: +39 04 44 32 64 18. 13 €
Go to a concert at the Teatro Olimpico
The trompe-l'oeil of the Teatro Olimpico.
Adobe Stock / fantomas70
Andrea Palladio died too early to see the theater he had designed completed.
What a joy to enter the room with the dim lights that illuminate the statues on the decor!
On stage, a formidable trompe-l'oeil directed by Vicenzo Scamozzi gives us the illusion of a street that goes on endlessly.
During the day, it is the tourists who tread the boards, but in the evening, the music or the actors take back possession of the place.
Piazza Matteotti 11. Tel.
: +39 04 44 96 43 80. Shows between April and October according to an annual calendar to be consulted on teatrolimpicovicenza.it/visite/info-orari.
Visit: € 11, concerts at variable prices.
Explore Palazzo Thiene, the sumptuous seat of an old bank
The Palazzo Thiene, a precious palace signed Andrea Palladio.
Lucie Tournebize
From the attic to the courtyard, the majestic Palazzo Thiene has reopened its doors to visitors.
The former headquarters of Banca Popolare di Vicenza almost remained closed forever, since the bank went bankrupt in 2017. In September 2021, the town hall acquired this precious palace designed by Giulio Romano and produced by Andrea Palladio .
If many works are still in the deposit, the collections which occupy the rooms richly decorated with frescoes, stuccos and coffered ceilings are already impressive.
Contrà San Gaetano Thiene, 11. Guided tour every Saturday and Sunday, reservation required: iat@comune.vicenza.it.
Phone.
: +39 04 44 32 08 54. Admission: € 6.
Spend an evening at Bar Borsa, a unique jazz club in the world
Jazz evening at Bar Borsa.
Bar Borsa
In an alcove on the ground floor of the Palladian Basilica, this bar changes atmosphere from hour to hour throughout the day.
Known by neighborhood employees for their delicious
paninis at
lunchtime, their tables are taken by storm at
aperitivo time
, when their cocktails are a huge success.
But what we prefer are its jazz evenings, which punctuate the Borsa jazz festival, several editions of which are organized each year.
Bar Borsa, Piazza dei Signori, 26. Tel.
: +39 04 44 54 45 83.
Invite yourself for tea in a noble villa on the outskirts of the city
Villa Valmarana ai Nani is still inhabited by the Valmara.
Adobe Stock / ArdoPics
On the wall which separates the garden from the hill, stone dwarves draw up their strange silhouette. It is they who give its nickname to the Villa Valmarana ai Nani, composed of a Palazzina and an 18th century Foresteria. Giambattista Tiepolo works on the decorations of the masters' villa, which he covers with epic frescoes. In the Foresteria, his son Giandomenico gives free rein to his imagination, creating very beautiful frescoes inspired sometimes by Venice, sometimes by an exotic Orient. As the villa is still inhabited by the Valmara, we have fun finding family photos on the ragpickers and buffets. In the Foresteria, under the eye of
puti
with rosy cheeks, we sit down for tea, or even for the night: the room known as the Chinoiseries, and its Tiepolo frescoes, can be rented for a few nights.
Valmarana ai Nani.
Via dei Nani, 8. Admission: € 9.
Phone.
: +39 33 56 11 13 88. For accommodation, book by email: foresteria@villavalmarana.com
Treat yourself to a lithograph in a
historic
bottega
This workshop is dedicated to the art of lithography.
Lucie Tournebize
In this workshop hidden for 75 years at the end of a pretty courtyard reigns a joyful and colorful bazaar.
But this is only an appearance, because here, every gesture is fine-tuned to achieve the lithographs of local or international artists who dry on a thread.
We visit the shop with centuries-old machines and we leave with an original and artisan souvenir.
Stamperia darte Busato.
Ring the bell to ask to enter.
Free visit, or paying if guided.
Contrà Porta Santa Lucia, 38. Tel.
: +39 04 44 51 35 25.
Explore the Baroque rooms of Palazzo Leoni Montanari
A baroque palace mixing Russian icons and Venetian paintings.
Lucie Tournebize
Spread over two floors, this fabulously baroque palace exhibits a unique collection of works of art, mixing Russian icons, photography and Venetian paintings by Pietro Longhi or the Canaletto.
In the room dedicated to Russian icons, contemporary artists are regularly invited to dialogue with pious images, the oldest of which dates from the 13th century.
Contra di Santa Corona, 25. Tel.
: +39 80 05 78 875. gallerieditalia.com.
Entrance: 5 €
