ITINERARIES AROUND THE TOWN

The itinerary starts out from Piazza Castello and leads the visitor through the streets of Roman Vicenza, including the only two "visible" archaeological areas in the town: the Criptoportico and the crypt of the Cathedral. Further on it becomes even more fascinating and unusual, transformed into what we will call the "walk of the four bridges"; this takes us into an almost amphibious town, with rivers and canals appearing below every bridge.

The Cathedral is one of the most artistically and historically important buildings in the town, an imposing Gothic construction which is the result of the integration of three previous basilicas (8th, 11th and 13th centuries).
It is one of the two sacred buildings in Vicenza that show the hand of Palladio, in the door (1575) onto Contrà Lampertico and the dome over the grand tribune attributed to Lorenzo da Bologna. Standing apart from the building, the bell-tower is a ninth-century Romanesque work. The Cathedral has a very rich heritage of works of art; among these we must mention the "Adoration of the Magi" (1640) by F. Maffei (third chapel on the right); the golden polyptych by Lorenzo Veneziano (1356) (fifth chapel on the right); the High Altar (1534) by G. da Pedemuro and G. Pittoni; the archaeological area under the crypt (with a stretch of paved Roman road); the "Coronation of the Virgin" (1448), a large sculpted altar-piece by Antonino di Nicolò da Venezia (fifth chapel on the left) and the painting by B. Montagna "Madonna and Child with St. Mary Magdalen and St. Lucy" (fourth chapel on the left). On the right of the harmonious Cathedral square stands the Bishop's Palace, a neo-classical work by G. Verda (1819). The inner courtyard contains an authentic jewel, the Zeno Loggia (1494) by Bernardino da Milano, an example of exquisite decorative elegance in soft Nanto stone. Next we come to the entrance of the Criptoportico, a very interesting Roman building of the first century A.D., and the Oratorio del Gonfalone, with paintings by G.B. Zelotti, Maganza and the Albanese school. We now begin to go down through quiet, narrow little streets towards the Retrone, with buildings on either side that bear witness to the history of the town such as the mediaeval Loschi Towers, in Contrà Sant'Antonio, or the imposing Ospizio dei Proti (A. Pizzocaro, 1658) and the neighbouring Oratorio della Visitazione in Contrà Oratorio dei Proti. The hidden beauty of Santa Maria delle Grazie (1494, rebuilt in 1595) is now open to visitors; the Opera Pia Francesco Nado now allows visits of the interior and the works housed there by Maganza, De Pieri, the Marinali and Jacopo and Leandro da Bassano.
To reach it, starting from the Oratorio della Visitazione, we follow Contrà Pasini (with the fifteenth-century Palazzo Arnaldi), Contrà della Fascina and Contrà delle Grazie. A brief descent takes us to Viale Eretenio: on the right is the Palazzo Civena-Trissino (now the Eretenia Nursing Home), an early work by Palladio (1540).

There now begins the more "tourist" part and certainly the most unusual part of the itinerary; the finest thing about the "walk of the four bridges" is the view of the houses lapped by the slow lazy waters of the Retrone. It is completely different from the "Palladian" face that Vicenza reveals to visitors, and underlines yet again that this is a town of a thousand faces. We start with the Furo Bridge (second century A.D.) which has preserved its abutments, pier and two arches from Roman times; we can now see the first enchanting view of the town made famous in a thousand photographs and postcards, beyond compare, with the imposing bulk of the Basilica the loop of the river and the houses reflected in the water.
We now proceed to discover the district on the other bank of the Retrone, a part of the town that is little known even though every building has its own historical and artistic value, often quite remarkable. In this area stood the grandiose Berga Roman Theatre (first century A.D.), studied by Palladio and dismantled between the sixteenth and the seventeenth century to make new use of the precious marble with which it was richly adorned; some remains can still be seen at No. 77 of Contrà Santi Apostoli and in the basement of Palazzo Porto-Scaroni in Piazzola San Giuseppe.

Continuing our walk, we come next to Piazzola Gualdi, after passing on our right the Porton del Luzo, an old tower of the Mediaeval walls. Wonderful little streets lead off Piazzola Gualdi, offering visitors the possibility of making extraordinary discoveries. You can breathe the air of the Empire in the splendid salon in Palazzo Gualdo (at No. 10 in the square, purposely arranged by the owners to commemorate the magnificent hospitality offered to the Emperor Charles V on his way through Vicenza. Or turn right onto Contrà Del Guanto to see the Oratorio di Santa Chiara e San Bernardino (it may be more convenient to enter by the adjacent Via Burci, ringing the bell at No.14) (1451), almost incredible with its fragile polychrome structure: an octagon covered with a ceiling with wooden trusses, where the signs of Ravenna and Gothic tradition blend with signs that already point to the Renaissance; on the walls are fine paintings by G. Carpioni. Further along Contrà Santa Chiara we can find other masterpieces in the Oratorio delle Zitelle: paintings with unusual forms by F. Maffei and G. Carpioni.

The "walk of the four bridges" continues from Piazzola Gualdi by turning left onto Contrà del Pozzetto and heading for the bridge of San Michele. At the foot of the bridge is the seventeenth-century Oratorio di San Nicola (The main entrance on Stradella San Nicola may be opened on request) which with its extraordinary interplay or stucco decorations encloses, between the ceiling and the walls, 32 paintings representing some of the most sublime moments of painting in Vicenza and the Veneto in the seventeenth century; two artists are responsible for this exceptional series of paintings, Francesco Maffei and Giulio Carpioni. Cross the Retrone again by the San Michele Bridge.
(Considering the difficulty, it is advisable to take the alternative route along Via P. Lioy - San Paolo Bridge, from which a classic view of the San Michele Bridge may be admired, Via San Paolo.) (1623), the most typical of the bridges of Vicenza and at the same time the most Venetian, for it was designed by the architect Contini, who collaborated in building the Bridge of the Rialto. On Palazzo Garzadori-Braga , a building combining Gothic and fifteenth-century forms, a long wreath of laurel leaves is the ideal hinge between the façade overlooking the Retrone, originally covered completely with frescoes, and the façade on Contrà Piancoli.

Just a few more steps will take us to the Barche District, the old port of which is remembered in Smeriglio's chronicles as long ago as 1230. The curious "layered" architecture of the old Hospital of San Valentino is now being restored, like the rest of the district, by the town authorities. Saved from decay, the district has thus found a new lease of life in its characteristic courtyards with their flower-decked arbours, in the craftsmen's workshops that open onto the little cobbled streets, and in the open spaces by the river retrone from which the Roman Ponte delle Barche can be seen, making a unique environment in the town.

We next come to Piazza Matteotti; on the left is the scenic façade of Palazzo Valmarana-Trento (1718), a masterpiece by F. Muttoni, of which the entrance to the garden is one of the town's most interesting porticoes. A delightful and unique example of Rococo architecture in Vicenza is the Palazzetto Giacomazzi-Trevisan which stands next to Palazzo Chiericati. On the other side of Piazza Matteotti we cross the Ponte degli Angeli or Angel's Bridge over the Bacchiglione which takes us into the "Republic of San Zulian", a popular district with an old tradition for craftsmanship; this is best exemplified in the Corte dei Roda, a vast assembly of houses and courtyards, recently restored, to which access may be gained from Contrà Sant' Andrea. On Piazza XX Settembre stands Palazzo Angaran, one of the most noteworthy examples of the early Renaissance. From Contrà San Pietro, on the right of the Ponte degli Angeli, we come to the Church of San Pietro and its stupendous cloister with most unusual terr- cotta cornices and the little Oratorio dei Boccalotti.

An unusual way to conclude an unusual itinerary is to take Via N. Sauro and go up the five steps of the iron foot- bridge which takes you back over the Bacchiglione, among the first elm-trees of Viale Giuriolo.