Vicenza

Vicenza is the city of Andrea Palladio, the architect who inspired palaces and villas all over the world. In Piazza dei Signori the Basilica Palladiana, with its white marble loggia, stands beside the Torre Bissara; nearby, the Teatro Olimpico, Palladio’s last work, amazes visitors with its wood and stucco perspective stage sets.

Just outside the centre, on a hilltop, stands Villa Almerico Capra, known as ‘La Rotonda’, the emblem of the UNESCO-listed Palladian Villas. A perfect day combines the old town, the Berici Hills and a good lunch before heading back to the farmhouse.