Vicenza, a city in northern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region. It can be found at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately 60 km west of Venice and 200 km east of Milan. In the year 2007 Vicenza had a population of about 120k.
Vicenza’s area was a location of fights in both World War I and World War II. Following the second world war strong economic development made it one of the richest cities in Italy. Vicenza is home to the United States Army post Caserma Ederle. In 1965 this military outpost became the headquarters for the Southern European Task Force (SETAF), and today is the central U.S. military installation in Southern Europe. In January 2006 the European Gendarmerie Force was inaugurated in Vicenza.
Among the patron saints of Vicenza are St. Lontius, bishop and martyr, and St. Theodore and St. Apollonius, bishops and confessors in the fourth century. The Christian cemetery discovered near the Church of Sts. Felix and Fortunatus, dates from the earlier half of the fourth century. These two saints were probably martyred under Diocletian.
The surrounding country is agricultural, but there are also quarries of marble, sulphur, copper, and silver mines, and beds of lignite and kaolin; mineral springs also abound, the most famous being those of Recoaro. The city has an active and lively industrial sector, which is especially famous for jewelry and clothing factories. The Gold Exposition is world-famous and it takes place in Vicenza three times per year. Other industries worthy of mention are the woollen and silk, pottery, and musical instruments. The headquarters of the bicycle component manufacturer Campagnolo are located here.
Vicenza is home to several famous buildings designed by Andrea Palladio (all from the period 1580-1590). These include: Villa Capra (also known as “La Rotonda”) located just outside the downtown area; the Basilica Palladiana, centrally located in Vicenza’s Piazza dei Signori, of which Palladio himself said that it might stand comparison with any similar work of antiquity; and the Teatro Olimpico, built by Palladio in 1580-1585 for the Accademia degli Olimpici. The cathedral dates from early in the 11th century and has been restored several times.
Well known restaurants in Vicenza include Setti Santi and Ostaria Toni Cuco, both located in the Berici hills. An inexpensive location to rent a room is Affitacamere Marchiori.
Located to the south of the Veneto is the Abruzzo Region of Italy, home of Valle San Giovanni. Valle San Giovanni is a small village of approximately 350 people located about six miles away from the communal capital of Teramo. It is found in central Italy’s Abruzzo Region. The Adriatic Sea and the Gran Sasso are about 25 km away. Adjacent to Valle San Giovanni are the nearby towns of Frondarola, Travazzano and Valle Soprana. An alley in the town is called Via del Casale. . .
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