Vicenza, Italy! We're having a staycation!
Yep, it's true! We had a nice, long four day weekend available to us, but we decided to just stay home. (This desicion was partially decided by my husband's boss, who wanted to meet with him in the middle of the four day weekend). Our trip to Croatia was OUT and a staycation in good old Vicenza was IN!
YEA!
(I'm a little sarcastic here, but it actually turned out to be an ok time)
Beautiful Vicenza. Our hometown. Whoo-Hooo! We are having a staycation! Poor Delilah....
Vicenza is actually a beautiful city. It's home to lots of Palladian villas which are nestled in the Berica hillside, so the views can be amazing--especially from the Basilica or from Monte Berico. We enjoyed just walking around town and seeing our smaller and under-appreciated adopted city. Here are some of the sights--don't be shocked, but there are so many beautiful places around here, I just couldn't cut many of the them!! So be prepared to just sit for a bit. And vote for my blog when you've finished. Thanks!!
Breathtaking view that I was telling you about :)
Archway that leads from downtown to the 200+ steps to Monte Berico
Basilica di St. Maria di Monte Berico--the church at the top of the hill. The Piazza that is located in front of this church has a breathtaking view of all of Vicenza.
From Wikipedia:
According to the legend, the Blessed Virgin appeared on this hill twice to a peasant worker named Vincenza Pasini; the first time occurred on March 7, 1426, the second on August 1, 1428. At this time in the Veneto, the people and economy had been suffering from a terrible plague for years. The Madonna promised that if the people of Vicenza built a church on the top of the hill she would rid them of the plague. The people kept their promise and the church was built in 3 months.
(Which is pretty impressive since it took 3 months for them to fix my internet)
Road leading up to Monte Berico
The Teatro Olimpico was built by Palladio (the same builder of La Rotunda) in 1580 and was designed to give the appearance of having long streets which disappeared into the background. It is one of three surviving Renaissance theaters in the world (and is pretty cool, if you ask me)
Delilah was a total nut inside the theater and it is super small...ugh!
They enjoyed the gardens outside...
But it was time to move on to more of the downtown. The architecture here is simply amazing.
The winged lion--the symbol of the Veneto
Somehow, I don't think we'll be driving the Suburban downtown...
A children's art show
Steve was fascinated by this skinny building...
And in the park downtown...
Seriously, these cute little Italian boys were looking at porn...no, I'm NOT kidding
Monkey see, monkey do...
It took four entire hours to write, edit, and arrange this blog so that you get to see this final piece. I'd really appreciate your vote if you've enjoyed my blog! Thanks!!
And if you're moving to Italy or are new here, please follow my blog (there are several, easy ways to do so), and feel free to ask questions and leave me a comment!
Thanks Amy! Love the pictures! And the fact that we where lucky enough to actually have been to several of them! Just like we're there again! Tracy G (Shannon's T. Dad)
ReplyDeleteOkay...I want to know how you knew those boys were looking at porn :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, did you know that there are several ancient Roman things to see in Vicenza? There is a Roman road underneath the Duomo. You can make an appointment to see it. The Criptoportico in the Duomo Piazza is really cool. It is open once a week, I think, and for appointments. Al Paradiso Restaurant at Via Pescherie Vecchie 5 (near the Duomo) has remains of Roman baths underneath. (Ask when you go in and they will show you. They are appreciative if you buy something, but it is not required.) In addition, there is a piece of Roman Road outside the San Lorenzo church plus a few more things, including the remains of arches of an aqueduct near Caldogno.
Many of the places are labeled downtown with brown signs, which is how I first found out about the Roman stuff here. Then I stumbled across the book "Vicenza Romana" in the Ufficio Diocesano Pellegrinaggi di Vicenza. (It is mostly in Italian, but there are a few pullouts in English and a good map.) You can also check out ArcheoVeneto at http://www.archeoveneto.it/
PS: You are in the top 50 of mommy blogs again today!
ReplyDeleteNot a bad place for a staycation! :)
ReplyDelete(minus the porn viewing pre-teen boys of course!)
Hi, Found your blog today through "We took the road less traveled"
ReplyDeleteWhat a great place for a staycation. I would not mind at all.
Have a nice day