Suggestions for Venice/Vicenza
#4
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A couple restaurant recommendations in Venice: <BR>we had great pizza in Venice at Pizzeria Bora Bora, not far from the Rialto bridge, but on the San Marco side. We had an awesome dinner at a small place called Alla Vedova. They had no menu, just a counter display of antipasto, and a few pasta dishes the waitress would recite. We asked the waitress to bring us a selection of antipasto and ended up eating extremely well and at a reasonable price. For more of a splurge, Da Fiore is one of the best seafood restaurants I've ever been to. Its expensive and you definitely need a reservation. <BR> <BR>As far as sights in Venice, the obvious ones, the San Marco Basilica and the Doge's palace are both great. We also loved the Accademia and the Guggenheim collection.
#5
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I have actually stayed in Vicenza, but only because the hotels in Verona were booked during opera season, and Vicenza was the next city up on the train. I don't remember where we stayed--the nice folks at the tourist office set us up with a two-star. Vicenza is nice, but it's more of a busy shopping town than anything historical. I'd certainly have rather stayed in Verona, which is one of my favorite towns in Italy.
#7
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Well, somehow I've never made it to Vicenza, but my friends who've been there have found it interesting, and I do want to go there to see the Palladio architecture. If that's why you're going there, you might want to seek out a good book on Palladio (preferably at the library, given the price of art books) which will give you far more info than any travel book. A couple that come to mind are the ones by Rudolf Wittkower, James Ackerman, Robert Tavernor, and Bruce Boucher. The latter two are a bit glossier than the former. Sorry that I have no personal experiences to share.
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#8
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I will put in a plug for visiting the island of Torcello, which was a major population center early in Venice's history and preserves a magnificent church, vividly decorated inside, and little else. It takes a while to get to but I find it very atmospheric. Burano, where the women make lace, is also interesting. I recently purchased a book here in the US which showed where great art was viewable in public places in Venice and I then concentrated on churches having Giovanni Bellini works. I recommend this book.
#9
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A couple of months back I visited Vicenza, which was high on my wish list since I am an architecture student. The Palladian buildings: villas, theatre, basilica, were well worth the trip. These monuments mixed well with the curiously high-end shops and stores. Rich people lives there, obviously. By night the town was quiet; I spent some time watching a big group of Filipino(?) maids having a get-together on the steps of Basilica Palladiana. It was quite a surreal place, actually.