The route is recommended for those who prefer to travel using the fly & drive system - "fly and drive", who after the obligatory Rome, Florence and Venice dream of seeing the real Italy, which is so difficult to discern in the bustle of big cities. Those wishing to study this country thoroughly will need a whole lifetime, believes a columnist of the magazine "Voyage and Leisure". For others, a route through the Italian region of Veneto can be offered.
Day One: The Palladio Bolshoi Theatre
Vicenza is a beautiful stranger. Tourist routes somehow bypass this city. And completely in vain. On the main street - Corso Andrea Palladio - one facade is more beautiful than the next. The spectacle, on the one hand, is unseen, on the other, very familiar.
Imagine the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, the American White House and the provincial town's House of Culture standing wall to wall on the same street. The thing is that the chief architect of Vicenza, Andrea Palladio, created his own architectural style - Palladianism, excellent examples of which can be seen all over the world. It is hard to find a street in the center of Vicenza that does not boast a palace created by this great genius of the Renaissance.
To get to know the former owners of the palaces here better, it is worth visiting the Teatro Olimpico - the first covered theater in Europe and Palladio's last creation. Its stage and the colonnade surrounding it are adorned with a whole legion of statues, for which the models were the generous sponsors who donated money for the theater's construction.
Day Two: Medieval Barvikha
And yet, to see the best creations of Palladio, it is worth getting into the car and driving around the outskirts of Vicenza. Thanks to the climate and wonderful landscapes, the area around the city attracted rich Venetians like a magnet, who built their country villas here. The great Titian, Veronese, Bassano, Tiepolo worked on the painting of the walls and ceilings of these villas - accustomed to living in comfort, the customers spared no expense.
Owning a country mansion today is not only prestigious but also costly. Private individuals, who still own most of the villas here, have to invest large sums in their maintenance. Therefore, the doors of many of them are open to tourists, and luxurious rooms are rented out to anyone for banquets - here your wedding program or presentation can also come to life. The famous shoe designer Sergio Rossi went even further - opened a shoe museum at his Villa Fascorini-Rossi.
At Villa Porto-Colleoni-Thiene you can meet Count Thiene, whose family has owned the villa since the 16th century. An aristocrat in the seventeenth generation, he will gladly show you his estate. The owner of another nearby villa, Godi-Malinverni, also doesn't mind chatting with tourists. True, he only visits the villa occasionally - Signor Malinverni is a successful Milanese businessman.
Day Three: The Kremlin in Marostica
This day should be entirely devoted to small Italian towns. Each has its own face, its own character and its own history. Smelling of honey, orange, and in the evenings also coffee, Bassano del Grappa is the birthplace of grappa, Italian grape vodka. Most likely, the male part of your company will insist on visiting one of the local taverns. You must do this, but don't stay too long. Just four kilometers from Bassano, a new discovery awaits you - tiny Marostica. This town still separates itself from the rest of the world with ancient stone fortifications. The brick battlements of the walls, towers and gates will inevitably remind you of the Moscow Kremlin. Which, however, is not surprising at all - because the builders of the Kremlin were also from Italy.
Wait until the market set up on the square in front of the city castle begins to close. In half an hour, there will be no trace of it. And then you will see the main attraction of Marostica - a giant chessboard laid out with colorful tiles.
Day Four: Padua - 'Nursery of Sciences'
The inhabitants of Padua declared the hero of the Trojan War, Antenor, to be the founding father of their city. His white marble sarcophagus still adorns one of Padua's squares. And although the age of Padua is not precisely determined, for the last 800 years it has been under the dominion of students of the local university. The best teachers of the university - Dante and Petrarch, the best students - Copernicus and Goldoni. Within the walls of the main abode of Paduan science - the medieval Palazzo del Bo - the lecture hall that heard Galileo's voice still survives, and even the wooden lectern from which he delivered lectures on physics for many years.
Be sure to look into the Pedrocchi café, known throughout Italy as a meeting place for intellectuals. Order yourself a cup of aromatic espresso and marvel at the world map hanging upside down for some reason. Then head to the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, a poor monk who was known in life for his eloquence, and after death for his miracles of healing. The tomb, hung with dozens of golden hearts, satin ribbons, notes and photographs of recovered people - confirmation that the chief physician of Italy has still not lost his qualifications.
Day Five: 'Quietly the Brenta Flowed'
It is time to think about a pleasant river cruise. From early spring to late autumn, a small tourist boat "Burchiello" runs daily between Padua and Venice. A leisurely journey of 32 kilometers along the narrow river Brenta, blocked by locks and drawbridges, is well worth the 60 euros you will pay for it. The program includes visiting three luxurious villas of the Venetian nobility and a hearty lunch on the shore.
The first stop is the Villa Pisani. Built for the 114th Doge of Venice, it has 114 rooms. It's simply impossible to see them all, but you absolutely must not miss the hall with the ceiling painted by the great Tiepolo. In its time, it was admired by Lord Byron, Mozart, and Casanova. Napoleon gave Villa Pisani to his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais. And in 1943, two dictators, Hitler and Mussolini, met here.
The two other villas where the boat will stop - Valmarana and Foscari Malcontenta - are just as beautiful and just as famous for their history and stories.
Day Six and Seven: “Verona, where events greet us”
A worthy end to the route - Verona, the birthplace of Romeo and Juliet, the capital of all lovers, and possibly the most romantic city in the world.
A volume of Shakespeare is an indispensable guide to Verona. A kiss under the famous balcony of Juliet is the most reliable way to keep feelings alive for a long time. Couples in love come here from all over the world to participate in a costume wedding ceremony, where in the great hall of Juliet's House, dressed in medieval costumes, the newlyweds exchange rings and receive a parchment marriage certificate from the “Order of Montagues and Capulets”.
Saying goodbye to Verona, drop by the Galmiere restaurant on the ancient Piazza San Zeno. And if the waiter nods knowingly, order branzino and a bottle of Tignanello. Rest assured, they go perfectly together. Don't forget to also try the pasta with black truffles. And finally, of course, a cappuccino. Ciao, ciao!