The
train station is a
ten-minute walk southwest of the
historic centre; head straight
ahead through the park to reach
Piazza del Castello. The
tourist
office is at the far end of
Corso Palladio, alongside the
entrance to the Teatro Olimpico,
at Piazza Matteotti 12 (Mon-Sat
9am-1pm & 2.30-6pm, Sun
9am-1pm; tel 0444.320.854,
www.ascom.vi.it/aptvicenza
). For
listings , pick up
a copy of the local papers
Il
Gazzettino or
Il Giornale
di Vicenza .
Internet
access can be found in the main
library, on Contra Riale, one
block west of Palazzo Barbaran.
Vicenza's one-star hotels
are all on very noisy roads, or
above bars or restaurants, or
some way out of the centre - or
a combination of these
drawbacks. Of the two-stars
within a few yards of the Piazza
dei Signori, the following are
worth trying - graceful Due
Mori , Contrà Do Rode 26 (tel
0444.321.886;
L90,000-120,000/?46.48-61.98),
which has some beautifully
furnished and spacious rooms;
the capacious Vicenza ,
Stradella dei Nodari 5/7 (tel
0444. 321.512;
L90,000-120,000/?46.48-61.98);
and, friendliest of the bunch, Palladio
, Via Oratorio dei Servi 25 (tel
0444. 321.072;
L90,000-120,000/?46.48-61.98).
The brand-new youth hostel
, viale Giuriolo, 7 (tel
0444.540.222) is in a superb
position just off Piazza
Matteoti, opposite the Museo
Civico. If centrality isn't an
issue, enquire after the
two-star Casa San Raffaele
, Viale X Giugno 10 (tel
0444.545.767;
L90,000-120,000/?46.48-61.98),
which enjoys a beautiful
position on the slope of Monte Bérico.
Wherever you decide to stay,
phone ahead to book a room if
you're going in summer or early
autumn - some places close down
in August, and Vicenza's
popularity as a conference
centre can make it tricky to
find rooms, especially in
September.
The best budget restaurant
is the Antica Casa della
Malvasia , Contrà delle
Morette 5 (closed Mon), a
bustling, roomy inn just off the
Piazza dei Signori: the food is
variable but it has live music
on Tuesday and Thursday, is open
till at least 1am on Friday and
Saturday, and the bar's superb
too. Equally popular, but
somewhat less basic, is the Vecchia
Guardia , close to the
basilica at Contrà Pescheria
Vecchia 11 (closed Thurs). For a
posher, more intimate
atmosphere, head just beyond the
Piazza del Castello to the Trattoria
Ponte delle Belle , Contrà
Ponte delle Belle, 5 (tel
0444.320.647; closed Sun), which
specializes in Tyrolean cuisine,
but also does Vicentine
specialities. Note that there
are few restaurants in central
Vicenza and many close in
August.
As for bars in the
centre of the city, the Malvasia
is excellent, but the most
atmospheric is Il Grottino
, under the basilica at Piazza
dell' Erbe 2 (closed Sun). It
has a good range of wines, stays
open till 2am and has live music
on Wednesdays and Fridays in
summer. Among the cafés
and pasticcerie along the
Corso and around the basilica, Sorarù
, in the Piazzetta Andrea
Palladio, next to the basilica,
is highly recommended, as is the
neighbouring Gran Caffè
Garibaldi . The best ice
creams in town are at Tutto
Gelato , Contrà Frasche 26
(between the basilica and the
duomo), though the Gran Caffè
Garibaldi runs it close. If
you want to buy your own food,
the alimentari on the
Corso are excellent, especially
Il Ceppo at no. 196; Porro, just
south of the basilica on Contrà
Orefice, is also good.
