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Palladian villas · UNESCO VicenzaNIGHT
24 UNESCO villas, one summer night, 80 musicians
All 24 Palladian villas on screen, with 80 musicians in Piazza dei Signori
Palladio’s UNESCO villas are scattered across six provinces of the Veneto, from the countryside around Vicenza to Padua, Treviso, Venice, Verona and Rovigo. For Notte Palladiana, all 24 were brought into Piazza dei Signori through films commissioned specifically to document the UNESCO site, while more than 80 musicians performed beneath the Basilica Palladiana. The one night event was created in 2026 to mark thirty years since the UNESCO inscription was extended from Vicenza to Palladio’s villas across the region.
Andrek02, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Know before you go
Notte Palladiana was a special event created for the 30th anniversary of the 1996 UNESCO extension. The 2026 event has concluded; check the official sources for any future editions or related Palladian anniversary events. Purpose 30th anniversary of the 1996 UNESCO extension Organisers TVA Vicenza + Comune di Vicenza Phone +39 0444 388311 Event email eventi@tvavicenza.it Booking email used in 2026 spettacoli@tvavicenza.it
About
Twenty four villas designed by Andrea Palladio belong to the UNESCO World Heritage site centred on Vicenza, yet seeing them normally means travelling across much of the Veneto. Notte Palladiana did something entirely different.
On 24 June 2026, Piazza dei Signori became a temporary map of Palladio’s countryside. Films commissioned by the City of Vicenza’s UNESCO office brought all 24 villas onto a large screen beneath the Basilica Palladiana, while the Banda Musicale di Bussolengo, an ensemble of more than 80 musicians conducted by Luciano Brutti, performed a programme ranging from film music to original concert works. The occasion marked the thirtieth anniversary of the 1996 extension of the UNESCO site, when 21 villas across the Veneto were added to the three suburban villas already included with Vicenza. For one night, the dispersed World Heritage site was gathered back in the city that gives it its name. For information on whether Notte Palladiana will return in 2027, contact TVA Vicenza at eventi@tvavicenza.it or +39 0444 388311.
Why 24 villas? ↓
24 VILLAS, SIX PROVINCES
Vicenza joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 with 23 Palladian buildings in the historic centre and three villas on its outskirts. In 1996 the site was enlarged to include another 21 villas across the Veneto, creating the present network of 24 Palladian villas distributed through six provinces.
WHY 2026?
Because there is an anniversary behind the night. Vicenza entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. In 1996, the inscription was extended to include Palladio’s villas across the Veneto. Thirty years later, Notte Palladiana was created to celebrate that enlargement. The complete UNESCO site now contains 47 Palladian works, 23 in the city of Vicenza and 24 villas across the Veneto. For one night, you are sitting almost exactly between the two halves of that equation, in a UNESCO city, watching the UNESCO countryside on screen.