Vicenze Province is in the Veneto region of Italy. The province is rich in monuments, palaces, churches and villas that testify to the different historical and artistic moments of its history. In 1994 Vicenza "city of Palladio" was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO In 1996, the recognition was extended to the Palladian villas of the Veneto region, for the most part located in the Vicenza area.
The Palladian Basilica of Vicenza - one of Palladio's best-known works together with Villa Almerico Capra "La Rotonda" - has also been declared a national monument
The province includes an area of the Po Valley, called the "Venetian Plain", which winds up to the centre of the province in the area of Schio and Thiene. To the north are the Vicentine Prealps and the Venetian Alps. In the western area of the province there are three practically parallel valleys starting from the Piccole Dolomiti and the Pasubio: from east to west, respectively, are the Val Leogra, the Agno valley and the Chiampo valley. To the south of the capital, approximately in the centre of the province, rise the Berici Hills, small hills that reach 450 m in their maximum altitude, but which are of particular natural and landscape interest.
It is one of the richest provinces in Italy and with the greatest exports in the manufacturing sector. The most important economic activities in the province are textiles, tanning, marble extraction, ceramics, furniture, but above all goldsmiths.
The public transport company is SVT - Società Vicentina Trasporti. Some provincial routes are operated by Busitalia.
The Vicenza area is characterized by the presence of numerous Venetian villas, dating back to the domination of the Republic of Venice. Among them, those designed by Andrea Palladio stand out. 16 of the 24 Palladian villas in the Veneto declared UNESCO heritage are in in the province.
Religious tourism is traditionally attracted above all by the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monte Berico.
The Vicentine cuisine is made up of simple dishes, of peasant tradition, which follow the trend of the seasons and the related products that were collected in the meadows and woods. Each dish is linked to a part of the territory and the preparations are still based today on typical products (many of which are included in the list of traditional Italian food products): the bisi of Lumignano (fraction of Longare), the white asparagus of Bassano, the nougat of Breganze, the cheeses of Asiago, the cherries of Marostica, the rice of Grumolo delle Abbadesse, the potato of Rotzo and the celery of Rubbio (fraction of Lusiana Conco), truffles in Nanto, broccoli fiolaro from Creazzo, sopressa from Valli del Pasubio, gnocchi with fioreta from Recoaro Terme or gnocchi from Posina. The most typical dishes are bigoi all'arna (fresh pasta spaghetti dressed with duck ragù) (originating from Thiene and Zanè) and cod alla vicentina.
The province of Vicenza has two areas particularly well versed in the production of wine: the area surrounding Breganze and the one close to Gambellara.
The Gambellara area is characterized by a soil rich in minerals, being of volcanic origin. Its slopes have been cultivated since ancient times, being sweet and fertile. There are four municipalities in the Doc area: Gambellara, Montebello Vicentino , Montorso Vicentino and Zermeghedo , therefore an extremely limited area. In Montebello a Roman villa from the 1st-2nd century AD was found with a wine cellar, evidence of grape cultivation since ancient times. Garganega quality grapes are grown from which three DOC wines are obtained: Bianco, Recioto and Vin santo.
The DOC area of Breganze is wider: it includes the municipalities of Breganze, Colceresa, Fara Vicentino, and in part those of the municipalities of Bassano del Grappa, Lugo di Vicenza, Marostica, Montecchio Precalcino, Pianezze, Salcedo, Sandrigo, Sarcedo and Zugliano. This area also has a remote volcanic origin, but is also characterized by moraine and fluvial deposits. The soil on which the best quality fruits are grown is characterized by gravel deposits, an excellent substrate as it is highly draining so the vines are not plagued by fungal diseases. The oldest and most characteristic vineyard is the Vespaiolo, from which Torcolato is obtained, a dessert wine produced since the 10th century.
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