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The beautiful city of Vicenza, located in northern Italy, is culturally and architecturally rich, making it a wonderful place to spend a few days.
Introduction to Vicenza
Vicenza was settled in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC and was named Vicentia in 157 BC. The locals received Roman citizenship in 49 BC, and the city was known for agriculture, bricks, marble, and wool. After the decline of the Roman Empire, the city was sacked and changed hands several times. Among the rulers were the Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Lombards, and Franks.
The Venetians took over in 1404 and ruled until the Fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797. The Austrians ruled from 1814 until Vicenza united with the rest of Italy in 1866. Vicenza was the scene of major battles during both World Wars, suffering greatly from Allied bombings during World War II. It took several years for the economy to bounce back.
Today, thanks to Andrea Palladio (1508-1580), Vicenza is an important city for architecture and was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. The “City of Palladio” is graced with 23 buildings designed by the influential architect.
Getting to Vicenza
The Vicenza Railway Station (Stazione di Vicenza), which opened in 1846, offers direct service to cities such as Venice, Milan, Padua, Turin, Treviso, and Udine. We arrived on a train from Verona, which took about 45 minutes. The city’s bus terminal is attached to the train station. The nearest airport is Marco Polo International Airport (VCE), about 64 kilometers away, in Venice.
Getting Around Vicenza
The Vicenza city center is quite compact and easy to get around on foot. You might even be able to walk to your hotel from the train station. To get to the villas just outside town, you’ll probably want to take a bus or taxi.
Biglietto Unico
With a Biglietto Unico, you can visit several different attractions in Vicenza. It costs €20 for adults, €15 for students aged 18-25, and free for kids up to 17 (as of April 2025). It’s a significant savings compared to what you would pay for individual visits. The ticket is good for eight days and includes the Olympic Theatre, Civic Art Gallery at Palazzo Chiericati, Galleries of Italy at Palazzo Leoni Montanari, Church of Santa Corona, and the Palladio Museum, among others.
Where to Stay in Vicenza
We spent two nights in Vicenza at a hotel just outside the historic city center.
Hotel Campo Marzio
Hotel Campo Marzio is a four-star hotel a short walk from the train station. The location was excellent and the staff was wonderful. We decided to splurge a bit and got a deluxe double room, which was very spacious. It had the most comfortable bed on our entire trip through Italy. The bathroom was big and had a nice tub, but the mood lighting was a little interesting to say the least.
Where to Eat in Vicenza
Vicenza has a good selection of restaurants and a distinct local cuisine. Unfortunately, we only had a couple days in town and couldn’t try all of the places we wanted.
Osteria Veneto’s
Our first lunch was at Osteria Veneto’s. Set in a cellar along Corso Andrea Palladio, Veneto’s offers dishes from the Veneto region. We thought it would be a good introduction to local cuisine.
Our first dish was a calamari salad that we shared. It was a nice start and everything was very fresh. As a main course, I had bigoli with meat sauce while Marisol had barbecued ribs over polenta. Overall, we thought the food was bland and we weren’t completely satisfied.
Bar Borsa
For dinner that night, we ate at Bar Borsa, which is restaurant and bar located at the historic Palladian Basilica on Piazza dei Signori. We sat outside under a heating lamp and enjoyed the lively atmosphere while having a nice local cocktail.
We started with an appetizer which was good but I can’t remember what it was, and shared a flavorless green soup along with a chicken dish. Other than the soup, we were happy with the meal.
Osteria Vicolo Santa Barbara
Our second lunch was at Osteria Vicolo Santa Barbara, a small family restaurant hidden in an alley near Piazza dei Signori. It was filled with locals so we thought that was a good sign. We ordered the rotini with Italian sausage and fettuccine with porcini mushrooms. They turned out to be two delicious and very reasonably priced pasta dishes.
Al Ritrovo (Permanently Closed)
For our second dinner, we had our favorite meal in Vicenza at Al Ritrovo. It’s located across the street from the Duomo. We had to wait a bit to be seated but it was well worth it.
Every table was full but a spot opened up on a bench near the entrance. We sat down and placed our order. We started with some of the most delicious scallops we’ve ever eaten along with a Greek salad. The salad wasn’t as good as I expected.
My main course was spaghetti with seafood and Marisol had fried seafood and smelt served in a paper bag. We finished it off by sharing a plate of chocolate gelato topped with berries.
Both of our meals were spectacular and service was excellent. I could honestly say it wasn’t just the best meal we had in Vicenza, but one of the best during our entire trip to Italy. Had we stayed another day, we probably would have eaten there again.
Palladian Architecture in Vicenza
Walking through Vicenza is a dream for architecture lovers, and nobody had a bigger influence on the appearance the city than Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). He was an artist of architecture and Vicenza was his canvas. With 23 buildings attributed to him, the Renaissance architect is responsible for making the city a UNESCO World Heritage site. In this post, I’ve highlighted each of his buildings I was able to see in red. I’ve also marked them on the map below with a dark red star. It’s not a complete list of his works in the city – I got to see 15 plus a villa outside town.
Aside from Palladio’s buildings, the city is full of spectacular palazzos. On the map below, I’ve marked the ones I saw with a gray flag.
