Vicenza

Vicenza stands on the Bacchiglione between the Venetian plain and the foothills of Monte Berico. Its medieval civic centre became the setting for the work of Andrea Palladio, whose palaces and public buildings gave the city a distinctive Renaissance character. The old Palazzo della Ragione housed the institutions of the commune.

Vicenza came under Venetian rule in 1404 and remained with the republic until 1797. After years of debate about the ageing building, in 1549 the city approved Palladio's design for new loggias around the old civic palace. The project, later known as the Basilica Palladiana, established his reputation as architect of the city. His work and the patronage of Vicentine families reshaped streets and squares while preserving the older communal building at their heart.