Italy 64 - Palladian buildings in Vicenza

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Saturday Is it really Saturday. We had lost a day somewhere and were convinced it was Friday. We only found out our mistake by asking our Downs syndrome friend whose name we never found out. Where has the last week gone. We have been to France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, the Czech Republic back into Germany again, Austria and finally Italy since we left home last Friday. We have stayed at very different campsites ranging from basic but perfectly suitable ones to top of the range to the pile them in, pile them high Italian ones. We haven’t eaten out much just one meal in the Czech Republic and have visited two castles, one roman site, a number of churches and a concentration camp. Our travel has taken us on buses, trams and boats. The weather has been cold and wet for most of the first few days but has started to pick up slowly and has been 30 degrees today. We have been bitten by mosquitos today but then that is to be expected near the Brenta Canal.

We forgot to set our GPS gadget to track us and only noticed when we arrived at Vicenza. Luckily much of our journey retraced old ground along the late and we will be able to play the childrens game of Join the Dots when we get home to fill in the missing bits.

Our journey along the motorway towards Vicenza was quiet . The roads I guess because it was Saturday were fairly clear and even the Milan road seemed relatively empty. Our first stop was Vicenza an Italian town in the province of Venito. Glenn had sourced a camper stop just outside the city where we could park up Suzy and catch the park and ride into town. We could not have done this years ago. There wouldn’t have been a park and ride and certainly not the internet to find out about it. Parking was easy. A barriered gate lifted when we took a ticket and we could park anywhere as the place was fairly empty. There were only car sized parking places but it was easy to overhang over one and half plots. Once you take a ticket you “obliterate” it as it stated on the instructions. We walked to the bus stop number 10 which was a 100 yards away and saw the bus in. We ran but when we got there the bus driver spoke to us in Italian – doh – we guess he said “ My bus is out of service, wait over there at the bus stop and when I have finished my cigarette I will come for you”. Obviously Italian time for a fag break.

The journey in was pleasant 10 mins and we were in the cite. Problem where to get off. The driver wasn’t that friendly and we watched the first person getting off wondering if this was centro or no. We stayed on and then finally I got up and asked. The bus was on a loop and had we stayed on we would have ended up back right where we started. Without a smile he pointed left and said Centro. OK hint taken, off the bus we climbed noting where we had got off so that we would know where to catch it back.

The city is a mecca to Palladian architecture. Think of Kedleston Hall, Chatsworth, Attingham Park and you get the idea. Palladio had been given the directive to modernise the city, sweeping away the medieval and opening up the piazzas and to build grand buildings. The church was a classic example. The back end brick medieval, the nave palladian curves and neatness. Rather clinical and ordered. The piazza was actually very nice . We hadn’t expected to like it but it was a revelation with the large municipal buildings blending in with the old. They were ordered and you can understand the need for that when Europe was so chaotic. The columns all identical and spaced out the same distances. The windows indentical and spaced out the same. Not to everyones taste but we sat drinking our coffee taking it in. We wandered down street after street and saw evidence of his work everywhere. Statues dedicated to Palladio the architect, shops selling books on his architectural thesis and plans. How to build a house Palladian style. Used all over the world even at home it was the template for 18^th century modern house building for the rich with deep pockets. It was a real delight to be amongst so many of the buildings. And the sun was shining as the weather seems to have improved. One of our favourite buildings was the belltower and its attached basilica originally constructed in the 15th century and was known as the Palazzo della Ragione. The 82 metre slender tower the Torre della Bissara was in a Gothic style and served as seat of government. A pretty tower that we described as rather feminine being so slender. The red brick contrasting with the white stone of its neighbour .


The post office was fun. I needed stamps. The postcards had been purchased but for some reason the shop yesterday did not sell stamps and I could not find a tabacci nor another shop with them for sale. Spying the large and sprawling edifice that was the post office I couldn’t miss the chance to call in and get them. However I should have realised having been in post offices in Italy before that this would not be straightforward. Just inside the door were two yellow machines with push buttons. Each push button had a number and letter beside it and it was obvious that this was going to be like the deli counter at Tesco where you used to have to get a ticket and wait until your number was called. Not being able to work out which ticket I needed I looked inside to see if there were any clues. Heaving with people in seats waiting I guessed that this was not going to be easy. I thought I needed an P ticket so got one. After waiting a while I could see an envelope above one counter so went back and tried to get an E Ticket which corresponded with the envelope counter. I couldn’t get a ticket out and a guy came behind me and pressed the button over my shoulder. Anyone normal would have given me the ticket but he took it and marched off. I got mine and waited . And waited …………..as one lady picked up a parcel. This took an age as the forms were filled in, she showed her documentation and the clerk went for the parcel. After she had been served in typical Italian style the clerk sat and looked round, talked to his neighbour , punched in a few numbers, filed away a few forms before pressing his button to call the next person to the counter. It still wasn’t me and he went through the same ritual with the old man in front of me. Eventually he did serve me, two stamps purchased – whole thing took a minute. It was quite funny with hindsight.


After our visit we found our way back to the bus for the 15 ride back to the park and ride . It was a pleasant return journey and worthy of a hop on hop off sightseeing tour of the city. We ate dinner on the parking ground. Getting out proved a task and a half. The cassa was easy to find, the ticket went in easily and the display showed me we had spent 8 euros 40. The easy part was paying and getting the ticket out . Trying to get out proved more arduous. I put the ticket in or tried to put it in with the arrow pointing the right way but the machine just would not swallow it up. I turned it every which way I could think. I straightened the ticket, I bent it , I tried it pushed upwards and then down but still the machine would not accept it and let us out. In the end I pressed the help and waited for someone to help me get the ticket in the machine. Glenn moved Suzy closer to the barrier and low and behold the ticket machine grumbled into life and the ticket shot out of my hand disappearing into the bowels of the machine. The barrier went up and I jumped in. In the background I could hear a disembodied voice shouting hello hello …………..as we drove off in the direction of Venice.

Another gem of a day out. They just keep coming.

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