I did all the packing and we checked out of Hotel Baviera at 12noon to make our way to Vicenza. By the time we reached there, it was 2plus in the afternoon. Finding our next hotel turned out to be quite a chore. No one seemed to know which bus went to the street it’s on, and when Simone went over to a policeman to ask for directions, we ended up having to dig out our passports to get them checked. Finally, when he asked a cabby if it would cost a lot to get to Hotel Continental, the cabby said that the road was closed for works and he would have to make a big detour to get there. His suggestion? Take a nice walk, the hotel’s only about 15 minutes away by foot. Fifteen minutes, my ass.
We walked and walked and passed by a beautiful arch to a flight of steps, built by Palladio. I think Palladio is the reason why anyone would visit Vicenza, and it’s his work we’re there to see. After the arch, we made a turn in the wrong direction till we asked a senora for directions, and she told us to follow her. She walked really slowly… but point us in the right direction, she did. I was convinced that we could have walked through the town centre from the train station to the hotel, but I could have been wrong.
Hotel Continental is a hotel with very basic amenities, but we get breakfast and internet access with the room. I liked Hotel Baviera a lot better, and ironically it was cheaper than Hotel Continental. Anyway, Simone and I checked in at about 3.30pm and he wanted to relax a little before going out. But of course… I felt a little tired from the walk too and he’d been the one lugging the suitcase. Simone started channel-surfing while I checked out the map the receptionist had provided us. Then I freaked out when I saw thatÂ
Teatro Olimpico – which I read was Palladio’s most famous work in Vicenza – closes at 5. We were out of the hotel in a flash and started walking to Teatro Olimpico. It seemed that wherever we went in Vicenza, we’d have to walk.
It wasn’t difficult to find the Teatro, and we were there in about 15 minutes. We entered into a pretty courtyard, lots of grass with benches under shady trees and lined with statuettes, some of which were damaged and had missing arms or heads.
