Not every Palladian villa is a palace. Villa Forni Cerato, in Montecchio Precalcino north of Vicenza, is a small, modest building, a cube with a simple loggia and pediment, built in the mid-sixteenth century for Girolamo Forni, a timber merchant and amateur painter. Its attribution to Palladio has been debated, but it is included in the UNESCO-listed City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto, and its compact harmony shows how Palladio's ideas worked even at a small scale. It is privately owned and not always open, so check before planning a visit.
The countryside here is the high plain north of Vicenza, between the Astico and Brenta rivers, a landscape of fields, vineyards, poplar rows and small towns, with the Alps rising abruptly to the north. Sandrigo, two kilometres away, is famous for one dish: baccalà alla vicentina, stockfish slow-cooked in milk and oil and served with polenta, celebrated every year with a festival. Nearby, Breganze is known for its wine, especially the sweet Torcolato.
The riding gets serious just to the north. The Asiago plateau, reached by the Costo road from Piovene Rocchette, a climb of many hairpins, is a high plateau of meadows, forests and cheese dairies, scarred by First World War trenches and memorials. To the east, Monte Grappa, another battlefield, is reached by spectacular roads with views over the plain. Marostica, with its walled town and the human chess game held on its square in September every other year, and Bassano del Grappa, with its covered wooden bridge and grappa distilleries, are both nearby.
Sandrigo and Thiene have fuel and services, and Vicenza, the city of Palladio, is a short ride south. The plain is busy and built-up, with lots of traffic and speed cameras, so the best riding is in the hills. Spring and autumn are ideal, while summer can be hot and hazy on the plain.