Vicenza

Vicenza. Hiking was out of the question today. I woke up quite sore from yesterday's trek. Instead, I headed south into Italy. Actually, I am already in Italy but it doesn't seem like it because everybody speaks German here. I chose the old town of Vicenza as my goal, just west of Venice. The road south from Toblach heads directly south to Cortina d'Ampezzo, a posh ski resort town. (I think the Olympic Games once took place here.) Cortina is too much of an overbuilt alpine resort town, but the setting is magnificent. The mountains go on for a really long time. The distance from Toblach to Vicenza is about 200 kilometers. I thought I could do it in two and a half hours but it took four. I didn't reckon with thick traffic, stop lights, road repair work and going off course a bit. Vicenza is the town of Andrea Palladio, the architect who resurrected the Classical style in the 16th century. There are a number of Palazzos in the town by him and a few mansions outside. The famed Villa Rotunda is in every art history book. But the real treasure is the Teatro Olimpico, opened in 1585. It is a unique Renaissance theater, still in use today. There is a permanent stage set that compliments any Classical drama. ("Death of a Salesman" wouldn't work here, I don't think). I have seen a clip on youtube of a concert with Cecilia Bartolli in that theater. Vicenza a lovely old town, very Italian and very charming. Aside from the great scenery, some of the towns I passed through on the way were something less than charming -- more like haphazard. There is a lot of industrial and commercial sprawl in the flatland. But still, it doesn't compete in ugliness with the sprawl outside any American city.