North East Italy is dominated by Venice, and with good reason. The semi-aquatic city is unique, beautiful and soaked in history. However, its fame and fortune can overshadow many of its neighbours, which are just as alluring in their own ways. How do I know? I went and had a look.
My six-day jaunt started with a flight from Gatwick to Verona but on this occasion I didn’t stop. Instead I made my way to the city’s railway station and headed off to Vicenza, a small but fascinating town that’s home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I knew I was going to enjoy myself.
Vicenza
The city is easily walkable and reassuringly flat – no massive hills to climb this time. It’s also very focused; everything you’ll want to see sits cheek by jowl around the Piazza dei Signori.
The great thing about Vicenza is that you can buy an eight-day pass that includes entry to most of the places you’ll want to see… for just €20. It can be purchased from the tourist office, across the road from Museo Civico di Palazzo Chiericati, which is home a selection of sixteenth and seventeenth century art, including works by Tintoretto.
Next door to the tourist office is the entrance to the World Heritage Site, the Teatro Olimpico, the first indoor theatre in masonry in the world, constructed by architect Andrea Palladio, between 1580 and 1585.
It’s difficult to portray its atmosphere in photos but the regular sound and light shows help capture its charms. Top tip: sit central and towards the top of the banking but you’ll need to hold on – it’s quite steep!
The fall of the rebel angels
Gallerie d’Italia Vicenza holds a wonderful collection eighteenth century Venetian art, including the truly breathtaking ‘Fall of the Rebel Angels’, a sculptural masterpiece for any age, and some highly stylised Russian religious icons.
During my visit there was an exhibition about hair styles down the centuries, which included a lock of Lucrezia Borgia’s trestles!
The city’s natural history museum can be sidestepped – it’s really not up to much – and a temporary exhibition about Italian Pop Art was equally disappointing (and sadly wasn’t covered by the €20 Vicenza card).
However, the small but perfectly formed jewellery museum is a blast. It’s not a long stopover but it does contain some beautiful items. I also enjoyed the Cathedral museum – its cool atmosphere was the perfecting setting for its slightly pick ‘n’ mix range of exhibits.
When I visited, in amongst the religious items, including some beautiful Islamic calligraphy, were photos of a man swimming in a dumpster!
I also visited the Villa Valmarana ai Nani, which is just outside the city. It’s noted for its frescos and stone sculptures of dwarves, named ‘Nani’, but it’s really pretty underwhelming, in my opinion, and probably not worth the walk.
After all this culture I wanted a drink and Ofelia Beerstrot came to my rescue. If you’re after a range of good quality cold beers and a tasty morsel, call in.
And if you’re looking for a more substantial meal then Ristorante Angolo Palladio is the place to go – the rolled pizza is amazing. It also served a good beer.
Onwards to Padua
Padua is bigger than Vicenza but still perfectly walkable. It’s also quite a bit busier but it never felt crowded in the way that Rome or Venice can. However, it’s every bit as an enjoyable – in fact, it turned out to be a very special place indeed.
My first stop, after a short train journey and a hotel check-in, was the Palazzo Zabarella for the ‘From Monet to Matisse, French Modernism, 1850–1950’ exhibition. It was an astounding display that was as good as any exhibition I’ve seen. A real highlight of my trip.
The world’s first botanical garden was created in Padua in 1545 and you can still visit it today. Sadly, access to the large greenhouses wasn’t available, but the smaller buildings housed some green wonders. It was my second UNESCO World Heritage Site in as many days.
Padua also had the first permanent anatomical theatre in the world – a fact I didn’t know before visiting its History of Medicine Museum (MUSME Padova).
It’s not a large museum but it is a fun one – my absolute highlight was a massive figure of man onto which was projected his bone structure, veins, arteries and organs, all while he explained what you were seeing.
Simple but ever so effective.
I rounded off my day by paying my namesake a visit – I set foot inside the Basilica Saint Anthony, a place of pilgrimage for people from all over the world.
The venerated saint is generally prayed to by people who are looking for helping finding lost or stolen items.
I tipped my hat, reverentially, and called it a day.
A day trip to Ferrara
I decided, on a whim, to take an excursion to Ferrara – a short train ride from Padua – and I’m so pleased I did. The walk from the station wasn’t overly inspiring… and then I saw Castello Estense, a fortress that bore witness to some of Italy’s famous feuding.
The Borgias passed through its gatehouse, as did Napoleon’s army. The cells, deep in the bowels of the building, are especially grim.
A bigger surprise greeted me at the Palazzo dei Diamanti, where I found a world class exhibition of Escher’s art. I’d seen examples of his work before but not in such numbers or so well presented – even the lighting matched the pictures.
It was a total revelation and I came away with a real enthusiasm for his drawings of impossible architecture. This would have been the type of thing I’d have sought out – finding it by accident reminded me why I travel.
I finished my day in Ferrara with a visit to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, which was nice in parts but there are only so many Etruscan vases I can see before I become inured to their charms… and this museum has thousands!
I retuned to Padua tired but very happy, despite the surplus of dark pottery.
A magical display topped with ice cream
There was still so much to see and so little time – Padua is such an interesting place – that I decided to jump on a bus tour; one of the Big Red Bus variety, which was really helpful at filling in some of the gaps. If I’d been paying attention I should have done this at the start of my visit but it’s easy to be wise after the event.
My next port of call was the Prato della Valle, one of the largest squares in Europe. I watched a Punch and Judy show, wandered between its water features and stumbled, quite by accident, onto the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten.
The Gelateria Portogallo doesn’t look especially imposing but the queue of people clearly knew it was worth the wait. And it wasn’t hugely expensive when you consider the size of the portions.
My stay in Padua was coming to a close – I had a beer and a pizza sat in the sunshine in the Area cani ai Giardini dell’Arena, which was as good as it gets, and paid a visit to the Museo del Precinema – a small but perfectly formed hymn to the earliest days of moving images.
It’s collection of magic lantern slides was truly magical and our guide was both knowledgeable and friendly. It was the perfect way to close up my visit.
My visit to north east Italy had been a total success, filled with so many amazing things. Would I go back? You bet! There were many more things to see Padua and its surroundings but they’ll have to wait for a while – my next trip is already booked… to the north west of the country.
