If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of Venice. Venice is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. But the Veneto region is a lot more than this great city. With a little luck you’ll avoid tourist traps, and return home feeling that you have truly visited Italy. This article examines southern Veneto tourist attractions. Our companion articles describe northern Veneto, the Shakespearean city of Verona, and the university city of Padua.

Over the centuries Vicenza passed from one occupier to another. In the Sixteenth Century was the home of Andrea Palladio, perhaps the most influential person in Western architecture. About two dozen of his Veneto villas compose a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Palladio was a major influence on Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and many state capitol buildings. Don’t tour Vicenza without visiting several of his masterpieces. The Olympic Theatre is Palladio’s last work and one of his best. It includes five hallways that look like streets; each spectator has a view of at least one street.

Perhaps Palladio’s greatest work was the Villa La Rotunda, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome and itself inspiring some one thousand buildings across the globe. It fits perfectly into its surroundings and the city of Vicenza on the horizon. Villa La Rotunda has belonged to the same family for over two hundred years.

The town of Rovigo is rich in history and culture whose most famous cultural institution is the St. Stephen Cathedral built prior to the Eleventh Century. Admire its interior artwork. There are several other old churches worth visiting. Several Rovigo Squares have maintained their historic character. The largest is dedicated to Emperor Victor Emmanuel II and hosts several palaces. The Fifteenth Century Gothic Cathedral faces this Piazza. The Piazza has a statue to the emperor and a Saint Mark’s lion said to indicate whether a Veneto town is peaceful or not.

Tags: destination veneto, italy travel, italy travelling, Southern Veneto, veneto travel, veneto travelling

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