Vicenza’s historic town centre is dominated by the huge Basilica Palladiana, but there are many other buildings around the town that were designed by the famous architect Andrea Palladio, as well as the hundreds of characteristic villas scattered around the entire province of Vicenza. Palladio's must-see masterpieces in Vicenza include the Teatro Olimpico, the oldest indoor theatre of the modern era, and the Rotonda, undoubtedly Palladio’s most famous villa.

The area around Vicenza is bursting with natural beauty and traditions dating back to ancient stories and legends: from the valleys and meadows of the Asiago Plateau to the hills of Bassano del Grappa, full of history and tradition; from the castle of Marostica, whose squares play host to real life chess games with people dressed up as the figurines, to the Romeo and Juliet castles in Montecchio Maggiore.

DON'T MISS

• Piazza dei Signori with its double set of porticos, the Loggia del Capitanio and the magnificent Basilica Palladiana.
• Palazzo Chiericati, a building dating back to the 16th century, and the Teatro Olimpico, designed by Palladio and then extended by Vincenzo Scamozzi.
• Villa Almerico Capra, otherwise known as "La Rotonda", Palladio's undisputed masterpiece with stunning frescoes and refined stucco work.
• Villa Valmarana "ai Nani" featuring paintings by Giambattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo
• Recoaro Terme, some of Italy’s most famous thermal baths thanks to the healing properties of the water.
• The Tonezza and Asiago plateaus and the spectacular scenery of the Astico Valleys and the Brenta- Valsugana Canal.