Vicenza isn’t a place that comes to mind when you think of visiting Italy unless you’re a military family, but it is a hidden gem. Home to U.S. Army base Garrison, this city is full of history, museums, and some of Palladio’s best works of architecture. (If you don’t know who Palladio was, he’s one of the most influential architects in history)
Getting there…
Vicenza is fairly easy to get to from several directions. The most common is to fly into Marco Polo Airport in Venice about 45 minutes away, however flights are much more expensive. From Marco Polo airport you can just hop on the train for about 50 minutes from Venezia S. Lucia to Vicenza. If you’re looking to save money flying in to Milan will save you a lot (we’re talking $100+ here). When you arrive at the airport take the train to Milano Centrale. It’s about a 40 minute train ride and will only cost me 13€ for 1st class. Then, you will transfer trains and ride for 1 hour 40 minutes from Milano Centrale to Vicenza which I paid 17€ for. It may sound a bit daunting, but it’s not. I didn’t book my trains until I got to the station just in case my flight or my previous train got delayed. There are plenty of trains leaving throughout the day, so don’t feel pressured to book everything ahead of time.
What’s in Vicenza?
For starters, there are a ton of historical buildings and museums to see. The Vicenza Museum Pass is good for 7 days and can be used for entrance to 8 sites.
Full Price: 15 €
Reduced price: 12€ (I got in for free with my military ID)
Groups & Family Max 2 adults & 4 children up to 17 years 12€
Schools: 5€
Teatro Olimpico: Built in 1580, the first indoor theatre in the world. Ornate sculptures decorate the gardens of the complex. Theatre and musical shows are still held here today.
Palazzo Chiericati: A collection of paintings and sculptures from the 13th-20th centuries.
Archeological Naturalistic Museum: Museum of Archeological findings throughout history.
Resistance and Risorgimento Museum: Site of historic event in 1848 where 11,000 men defended the city against the Austrian Empire.
Church of Santa Corona: Church that is home to famous works of art. Next to the archeological museum.
Diocesan Museum: Collection of privately donated items dating back as far as 1st century B.C.
Leoni Montanari Palace: Various collections of Greek and Roman antiques.
Palladio Museum: Modern museum of Palladio and his works.
Making my way downtown, not walking fast…
Old Vicenza is full of cobblestone streets and flowering window boxes hanging from balconies. You will find traditional Italian culture right down to late dinners and specialty markets. Before 7AM the city is still sleeping giving you time to wander the streets. I walked around for about an hour taking photos and saw two other people.
Lesser known history…
I love old, ornate doors. When I passed this one, the stone on the building gave it away that it was an old structure. With a little GPS googling I discovered that it was once home to Antonio Pigafetta. Antonio circumnavigated the world with Magellan as his assistant notating the historical journey around the Earth. Engraved in the stone reads “Il n’est rose sans espine” which means “There is no rose without a thorn.” You may have heard that in a Poison song, now you know where it came from.
Take Note….
Living in an apartment rather than on base gives you a real taste of day to day Italian life.
- When grocery shopping, you must weigh your produce and create a label to be scanned at the register. I never weigh back home before purchasing so I didn’t see the printer. The cashier was visibly annoyed with me that she had to go make labels for almost everything in my basket. They obviously knew I was not a native after that.
- Sundays are flea market days in the piazza’s. You’ll find an array of antique and new items of all kinds. It’s fun to walk around and look at through the stalls and see what people have.
- Basil is extremely hard to find in this region. I found one market that had basil and the plant was very wilted, so I did not buy it. I don’t event know how this is possible anywhere in Italy.
- Asiago is popular in this region and unbelievably cheap. I paid €1,90 for a huge chunk that lasted me a week.
- Stores are usually open from 9am-Noon and close for an extended lunch. They re-open late afternoon, some staying open well past midnight. Eateries tend to have better hours than shops which you’ll notice make their own hours as they go.
- Getting services for your home such as cable, internet, etc… can be a very trying task. The internet company has cancelled the installation appointment for the apartment 4 times in 2 months without prior notice or communication.
- The public water fountains are almost always beautiful and ornate, but also have great water to fill your water bottle or jug for free.
Sunday Funday
On Sundays booths flood the Piazza for Vicenza’s own flea market. You will find a little bit of everything from antiques, art, handmade goods, and more. Grab a pastry and walk around to look at all the different stalls.
