THE VENETO: PLACES & PRICES

Venice is a good place for an appetizer portion of Palladio before heading out to the countryside for the entrée. Asolo and Vicenza are convenient bases for exploring the Palladio villas independently, or you can join one of the tours organized by A Private View of Italy, which is based in Rome (39-064-741-985; tour prices available upon request). Opening times vary at the villas, but the tourist offices and some of the hotels in Asolo and Vicenza have villa brochures with current information and phone numbers.

Although the Veneto isn't rife with villas for rent, two Palladio--designed properties are available. The eight-bedroom Villa Saraceno, in Finale, can be booked through England's Landmark Trust (44-16-28-82-5925; $428-$1,208 per night, with a three-night minimum). The six-bedroom Villa la Rivella, in Monselice, designed by Palladio and executed after his death by his student Scamozzi, is surrounded by gorgeous gardens. Rent through The Best in Italy (39-055-223-064; $29,000 per week).

The country code for Italy is 39. Prices quoted are for March 2009, which is low season.

VENICE

The bulk of any Palladio-themed tour of the Veneto consists mainly of two building types—the urban villa, or palazzo, and the agricultural or country villa—but Venice features a third: the church. Two considered among his greatest works are within sight along the Giudecca Canal: San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore. The No. 2 vaporetto stops at both churches. The small 29-room pensione La Calcina, in Dorsoduro, has rooms with views and a terrace restaurant (0415-206-466; doubles, $145-$250).

ASOLO

A perfect jumping-off point to visit the villas Barbaro, Emo, Cornaro, and Godi, the quiet hill town of Asolo is worth the somewhat precarious drive, if only for its incomparable views. The Hotel Villa Cipriani, once Robert and Elizabeth Brownings' hideaway, has a hilltop setting and lovely gardens that are impossible to fault. The mesmerizing courtyard view is a dreamy cocktail-hour setting (0423-523-411; doubles, $415-$785). Perched above the square, the hundred-year-old Albergo Al Sole has equally wonderful views (0423-951-332; doubles, $218-$376). On the route to the Villa Barbaro, the Ristorante Osteria al Morer, up a windy road perched over a vineyard, oozes local color. Try the grilled orata or the regional specialty baccalà (27 Via San Vettore; 0423-565-275; entrées, $9-$18). To the west, in Bassano del Grappa, the Birraria Ottone was once an elegant beer hall and is now a charming restaurant run by the descendants of the 1870 founding family. In the spring, no one leaves without having the risotto with the white asparagus for which the town is famous (48-50 Via G. Matteotti; 0424-522-206; entrées, $9-$17). For the ultimate Palladian experience, have simple food made with local ingredients at the cozy Il Torchio Antico, in Lugo di Vicenza. The terrace and garden overlook the architect's first achievement, the Villa Godi (46 Via Palladio; 0445-860-384; prix fixe, $31-$42).

VICENZA

Vicenza and its surrounding suburbs are a veritable amusement park for Palladio freaks, with more than 20 on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and the city center or City of Palladio itself is the site of many of them, including the incomparable Teatro Olimpico. You can't turn a corner in Vicenza without bumping into a palazzo, with cafés and restaurants near every one.

The Hotel Due Mori, bang in the center of the action, has simple, clean rooms at reasonable prices (0444-321-886; doubles, $50-$100). Just south of the city, the pricier hilltop Hotel Villa Michelangelo has gorgeous views of the Berici Hills and 52 breezy, charming rooms (0444-550-300; doubles, $245-$355).

Antica Osteria al Bersagliere, near the Piazzetta Palladio, serves fish, wonderful fresh pastas (such as fettuccine with woodear mushrooms), and good house wine in a cozy atmosphere (11 Contrà Pescaria; 0444-323-507; entrées, $13-$20). Nearby, the famed Sorarù, the oldest and most elegant coffee house in town, has delicious pastries and sandwiches and a bird's-eye view of the Piazzetta Palladio (0444-320-915). Locals around the Duomo crowd the no-frills Righetti to lunch on inexpensive pasta and risotto. Payment is on the honor system (3 Piazza del Duomo; 0444-543-135; lunch entrées, $5-$9). At Trattoria Zamboni, up a hillside from Arcugnano, Severino Trentin uses local ingredients, many from his own garden, including the freshest green peas you'll ever taste. The regional lamb has a velvety texture and is exquisitely memorable (73 Via S. Croce; 0444-273-079; entrées, $10-$25).

After a morning visit to La Rotonda, pop down to the Costozza di Longare area, where a clever duct system built in the Middle Ages acts as an air-conditioning system, connecting three villas—one of which, the Villa Aeolia, is now a charming little restaurant with a view of the Villa Trento Carli. The ice cream is worth the detour, and its maker might give you a glimpse of the ancient cooling system for which the villas are famous (1 Piazza Da Schio; 0444-555-036; entrées, $12-$21).

Reading

By far the best book on Palladio for the general reader, The Perfect House, by Witold (Rybczynski, is part travelogue and part analysis of just what makes his architecture so sublime (Scribner, $15). Also useful are Architecture of the Renaissance: From Brunelleschi to Palladio (Abrams Discoveries, $16) and The Villas of Palladio, which has beautiful watercolors by Giovanni (Giaconi and short descriptions by Kim Williams (Princeton Architectural Press, $50). The architecture-driven Eyewitness Travel Guide to Venice & the Veneto covers many of Palladio's works and includes a spectacular illustration of the Teatro Olimpico, the brilliance of which could never be captured in a photograph. The guide is less useful, however, for the nuts and bolts of getting around the region (DK Publishing, $20).

Stop in the Information Office near Vicenza's Teatro Olimpico for maps, guides, and the villas' hours of operation. Joseph Losey's magnificent 1979 film Don Giovanni was shot on location in Venice and La Rotonda. Watch it and be swept away by the mesmerizing mix of Palladio and Mozart.

In London, the Royal Academy of Arts is celebrating the quincentenary of the architect's birth. The exhibit, Andrea Palladio: His Life and Legacy, which runs until April 13, includes original drawings, computer animations, books, paintings, and, most notably, large-scale models constructed out of lime and beechwood (44-207-300-8000; royalacademy.org.uk).