Author: Joseph

Most of today was spent at the shrine of Saint Anthony, a large Franciscan church erected in the 13th century. The church was large, with many chapels and a steady stream of pilgrims. Mass said hourly to full congregations. In addition to the church there were three cloisters and several museums, including two 13th century…

Heavy rain was predicted so much of the day was spent inside in a museum and window shopping. The heavy rain — first rain of the trip — was little more than a light shower. The Prato Della Valle is a large park almost in front of our hotel. Each day we have been here,…

The University claims to be the world’s oldest, founded in 1088. (Al Azhar in Egypt claims to be older, founded before 1000.). Little does it matter….the University of Bologna is old. We visited what was once the entire university campus, Palazzo Bo, but now home only to the Law faculty. The rooms were a wonderful…

Scenes from the Padua Botanical Garden, a department of the University of Padua, one of Europe’s oldest. The garden was founded in 1545.

Vicenza is only 20 minutes from Padua by rail, but another world. While Vicenza is quiet and very polished, Padua is far more big city, busier and noisier. We spent a big part of the afternoon in the cathedral Baptistry, painted by Giusto de Menabuoi in the early 14th century at the same time Giotto…

Across the road from Villa Rotonda is Villa ai Nani, owned by another branch of the Valmarana family. The Villa, built in 1670, is not as old as La Rotonda. It is set in more extensive formal gardens and in addition to the main house, La Palazzina, there is a guesthouse larger than the main…

Certainly Palladio’s most famous country villa is La Rotonda. Each side of the villa is identical to the other three, and the interiors open off a rotunda that soars from the main floor. The walls are sumptuously painted. A long low service building that borders the entrance drive houses the service areas that made the…

Santa Corona, a 13th century church, houses many treasures including Bellini’s Baptism of Christ and Veronese’s Adoration of the Magi. The early 13th century Dominican church was also seat of the Inquisition in Vicenza until the early 19th century. I was most fascinated with the central altar’s elaborate pietradura, inlaid stone work, and the inlaid…

Vicenza is a small city, although many blocks are lined with palaces. There are palaces everywhere, some designed by Palladio in the 1500s. Two of the better preserved are Palazzo Thiene and Palazzo Leoni Montanari,the second, also known as galleria d’Italia, houses a notable collection of Russian icons. Wandering the city today I encountered two…