Villa Caldogno is one of the quieter Palladian villas, standing in a park on the edge of the town of the same name, a few kilometres north of Vicenza. Andrea Palladio designed it in the mid-sixteenth century for the Caldogno family, and it shows his early style: a compact, symmetrical block with a triple-arched loggia in the centre, a pediment above, and no unnecessary decoration. Inside, the main hall and rooms are covered with frescoes by Giovanni Antonio Fasolo and Giovanni Battista Zelotti, depicting scenes of country life, banquets, games and love, painted with charm and humour. Like the other villas of the Veneto, it belongs to the UNESCO listing of the City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas.
The villas were country houses and working farms at the same time. Venetian noble families, as Venice turned from the sea to the land in the sixteenth century, invested in agriculture on the mainland, and Palladio gave them buildings that combined the dignity of a classical temple with the practicality of barns, stables and storerooms. His ideas, spread through his books, influenced architecture from England to the United States, where Jefferson's Monticello owes him a clear debt.
Vicenza itself is the city Palladio shaped, with the Basilica Palladiana on the main square, the Teatro Olimpico and street after street of palazzi. It's worth a half day, but leave the bike outside the restricted traffic zone.
North of Caldogno, the plain gives way to the foothills of the Alps, and the riding becomes excellent. The road up to the Asiago plateau climbs from the plain in a long series of hairpins, the Costo, to a high plateau of meadows and forests, scene of fierce fighting in the First World War, where war memorials and trenches are scattered through the woods. Monte Grappa, to the east, is another great climb, with a huge war memorial at the summit. Both roads are popular with riders and cyclists, so ride with care on weekends.
Caldogno has fuel and cafés; Vicenza has everything. The area around Breganze, on the edge of the hills, produces Torcolato, a sweet wine from dried grapes, and Asiago cheese comes from the plateau above. Have a plate of baccalà alla vicentina, the city's famous dried cod dish, with polenta.