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A Quick Tour Of Italy - Southern Veneto

By Levi Reiss

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Published: 16Feb2009
Word count: 411
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If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of Venice. Venice is its best-known city and one of the most popular tourist destinations on earth. But the Veneto region is a lot more than this great city. There are excellent tourist attractions elsewhere, and you won't have to fight the huge crowds. With a little luck you'll avoid tourist traps, and come back home with the feeling that you have truly visited Italy. This article examines tourist attractions in southern Veneto. Be sure to read our companion articles on northern Veneto, on that Shakespearean city of Verona, and on the university city of Padua.

Over the centuries Vicenza passed from one occupier to another. In the Sixteenth Century it 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. Its 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.

Pigeon is a Veneto specialty. Stracotto d'Asino is a donkey meat recipe often served as a pasta sauce. Bardolino Superiore DOCG is produced west and northwest of Verona near Lake Garda from several Italian and international red grapes. This wine is living proof that Garantita is no guarantee of high quality, some are and some are not.

Levi Reiss has authored ten computer and Internet books, but would really rather just drink fine French, German, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com and his global wine website global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com featuring a weekly review of $10 wines.

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