Adventures in northern Italy: Vicenza

Over the weekend we went to Vicenza, and this time we saw things not attached to the Army base. Kevin had seen these things while with a congressional delegation a couple of months ago, but they were new to the rest of us.
Presenting Villa Almerico-Capra, also known as Villa Rotonda:Look familiar? It was designed by Andrea Palladio, whose works influenced the construction of the White House and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Many of his buildings are concentrated in and around Vicenza; it's even an UNESCO World Heritage site. He died in 1580 before this villa was finished, but his replacement kept most of his ideas.
None of this mattered to Owen as he led us up the stairs, though.
Photos aren't allowed inside the house, which I think is a travesty considering the amount of money you pay to go in. But no one asked me. It seems this cat we saw after we came out of the house might agree with me, although he should have known that wasn't an original flower pot.
The statues around the grounds are lovely.
And there are lovely views, including of Monte Berico.
Later in the day we ventured into Vicenza's town center, where the main attraction is the Teatro Olimpico. It's the oldest surviving theater in the world and also was designed by -- wait for it -- Palladio. He kept busy, it seems. The arch in the center is known as the royal arch, and the sets on stage are original (from 1585). There was an oil lamp system to light the houses from within, but obviously they don't use that anymore due to risk of fire. They did demonstrate the acoustics and lighting system while we were there, though, and it was pretty impressive.
I thought it was pretty cool with a red sky.
So, there you have it. The two biggest sites of our weekend in Vicenza. It's a great little town.