The Northeast of Italy: overview
Throughout Italy’s history, the northeast regions have formed the conduit through which the country made connections with the exotic worlds of Byzantium and the Orient, and with the Alpine countries north of the Dolomites. The result is a rich variety of distinctive cities and colourful hinterland.
Built on more than 100 islets, supported by millions of wooden stakes and linked by 400 bridges, Venice is the only city in the world built entirely on water – and the sense of precariousness adds to the fascination for the visitor. For centuries, the ‘Queen of the Adriatic’ has inspired poets, painters and writers, and the afterglow of the once-powerful Venetian Empire is undimmed. Elegant Palladian villas grace the Veneto mainland from Venice to Padua and Vicenza. The glories of Verona extend from its Roman arena to the palaces of medieval and Renaissance families, whose intrigues and love stories inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo and Juliet.
Places to visit in Italy's Northeast
Venice
Although Venice has been in decline for more than five centuries, it remains, in spite of everything, one of the most magical and atmospheric cities in the world. Read more about Venice...
Verona
This former Roman settlement is today a jewel of a city, with an incredibly well-preserved amphitheatre, elegant palazziand a sophisticated centre which still resonates with the romance which inspired Shakespeare. Read more...
Trentino and the Dolomites
A popular region for hikers, skiers and watersports enthusiasts, where the stunning scenery is complemented by great food and a slower pace of life. Read more...
Padua
Both Dante and Galileo lectured in the proud university town that Shakespeare called ‘Fair Padua, nursery of Arts’. The university was founded in 1222, but long before that, Padua (Padova) had been an important Roman town, and then much later, became a centre of the Risorgimento Reunification Movement, whose activists met in the Caffè Pedrocchi to discuss strategy.
Padua is a city of attractive piazzas. In Piazza del Santo, to the side of the basilica, stands an equestrian statue of a Venetian condottiere (mercenary) by Donatello, believed to be the first great bronze cast in Italy during the Renaissance. Also here is the Oratorio di San Giorgio, decorated with beautiful frescoes. On the corner of the piazza is the Scuola di Sant’ Antonio with paintings by Bellini, Titian and Giorgione.
The city’s focal point is the crowded Piazza delle Erbe. The medieval Palazzo della Ragione, known as Il Salone, dominates the piazza. Inside are fine frescoes, and a large wooden horse copied from Donatello’s bronze masterpiece. Behind Il Salone is the handsome neoclassical Caffè Pedrocchi where, during the Risorgimento, activists from the nearby university met to discuss the founding of the new nation. From here it is only a short walk through Piazza dei Signori to Padua’s Duomo, the most interesting part of which is the frescoed baptistery.
North along the Corso Garibaldi is Padua’s undisputed star, the 14th-century Cappella degli Scrovegni. As penance for his father’s usury, Enrico Scrovegni built the simple little hall in 1303 specifically for the great Giotto frescoes. Beautifully preserved, these are considered some of the most important artworks of the Early Renaissance.
Vicenza
This is the home town of Andrea Palladio (1508–80), the most important architect of the High Renaissance. At its centre, Piazza dei Signori is graced by Palladio’s first public work, the Basilica Palladiana (1549), a gathering place for the law courts and assemby hall of the Gothic Palazzo della Ragione that it encases with a colonnade and loggia. Inside is a museum of Palladio’s designs.The main commercial street is Corso Andrea Palladio, lined with elegant mansions by the master and his disciples (converted to banks, shops and cafés); his simple home was No. 163. The 15th-century Palazzo da Schio (No. 147) is also known as Ca’d’Oro, after the Venetian Gothic palace.
Palladio’s greatest opus is where the Corso widens into the Piazza Matteotti, giving him freedom for the airy Palazzo Chiericati. Its Museo Civico has works by Tintoretto, Veronese and and Tiepolo. Across the piazza in a little garden, the audacious Teatro Olimpico is Palladio’s last work, completed by his protégé Vincenzo Scamozzi in 1584. Facing an amphitheatre auditorium are Classical Roman statuary and columns that look far deeper than their 4m (14ft), a permanent stage trompe l’oeil ‘curtain’ depicting the ancient streets of Thebes. It was the first covered theatre in Europe and is still used.
Take route Sp 247 to Monte Berico and Palladio’s most celebrated building, the hilltop Villa Rotonda, also known as Villa Capra, considered to be Palladio’s finest work. Designed as a belvedere for Cardinal Capra in 1567, it’s an exquisite piece of applied geometry, a domed rotunda set in a square surrounded on all four sides by simple Ionic-columned porticoes. From here it’s a 10-minute walk to the Palladian-inspired Villa Valmarana, notable for its Tiepolo frescoes.
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