Villa Chiericati stands in the flat countryside east of Vicenza, at Vancimuglio near Grumolo delle Abbadesse, a cube of pale plaster with a deep, columned portico that looks as if a Roman temple has been grafted onto a farmhouse. That is precisely what Palladio intended. Designed in the 1550s for Giovanni Chiericati, it is often cited as one of the first villas in which he gave the main façade a full temple front, an idea he would repeat, refine and make famous, and which architects copied for centuries afterwards, from English country houses to the American South. Like the other Palladian villas of the Veneto, it is part of the UNESCO site that includes the city of Vicenza.
Vicenza, a short ride west, is Palladio's city. Its Basilica Palladiana, a medieval town hall wrapped in a double loggia of arches, dominates the main square, and the Teatro Olimpico, his last work, has a stage set of streets receding in perfect perspective, built in wood and stucco. The city also has a famous villa just outside town, La Rotonda, perched on a hill with four identical porticoes. South of Vicenza, the Berici hills are dotted with villas, vineyards and caves, and the road along their eastern edge, the Riviera Berica, is a pleasant ride.
The riding here is mostly about the plain: flat, straight roads between fields of maize and vines, with towns and villages close together and frequent roundabouts. Traffic can be heavy around Vicenza and on the main roads, but the minor roads are quieter. The Colli Berici offer more interesting riding, with short climbs and tight bends through woods and vineyards. Summer is hot and humid, with mosquitoes in the evenings; winter brings fog that can be thick enough to stop you in your tracks.
Torri di Quartesolo, two kilometres away, has fuel, shopping centres and services. Vicenza has everything you could want. The city's signature dish is baccalà alla vicentina, dried cod slow-cooked in milk and served with polenta, and you should try the wines from the Colli Berici, such as Tai Rosso, a light, fruity red.