Vicenza's one-star hotels are all on very noisy roads, or above bars or restaurants, or some way out of the centre - or a combination of these drawbacks. Of the two-stars within a few yards of the Piazza dei Signori, the following are worth trying - graceful Due Mori , ContrA  Do Rode 26 (tel 0444.321.886; L90,000-120,000/a?¬46.48-61.98), which has some beautifully furnished and spacious rooms; the capacious Vicenza , Stradella dei Nodari 5/7 (tel 0444. 321.512; L90,000-120,000/a?¬46.48-61.98); and, friendliest of the bunch, Palladio , Via Oratorio dei Servi 25 (tel 0444. 321.072; L90,000-120,000/a?¬46.48-61.98). The brand-new youth hostel , viale Giuriolo, 7 (tel 0444.540.222) is in a superb position just off Piazza Matteoti, opposite the Museo Civico. If centrality isn't an issue, enquire after the two-star Casa San Raffaele , Viale X Giugno 10 (tel 0444.545.767; L90,000-120,000/a?¬46.48-61.98), which enjoys a beautiful position on the slope of Monte BA©rico. Wherever you decide to stay, phone ahead to book a room if you're going in summer or early autumn - some places close down in August, and Vicenza's popularity as a conference centre can make it tricky to find rooms, especially in September.

The best budget restaurant is the Antica Casa della Malvasia , ContrA  delle Morette 5 (closed Mon), a bustling, roomy inn just off the Piazza dei Signori: the food is variable but it has live music on Tuesday and Thursday, is open till at least 1am on Friday and Saturday, and the bar's superb too. Equally popular, but somewhat less basic, is the Vecchia Guardia , close to the basilica at ContrA  Pescheria Vecchia 11 (closed Thurs). For a posher, more intimate atmosphere, head just beyond the Piazza del Castello to the Trattoria Ponte delle Belle , ContrA  Ponte delle Belle, 5 (tel 0444.320.647; closed Sun), which specializes in Tyrolean cuisine, but also does Vicentine specialities. Note that there are few restaurants in central Vicenza and many close in August.

As for bars in the centre of the city, the Malvasia is excellent, but the most atmospheric is Il Grottino , under the basilica at Piazza dell' Erbe 2 (closed Sun). It has a good range of wines, stays open till 2am and has live music on Wednesdays and Fridays in summer. Among the cafA©s and pasticcerie along the Corso and around the basilica, SorarA? , in the Piazzetta Andrea Palladio, next to the basilica, is highly recommended, as is the neighbouring Gran CaffA? Garibaldi . The best ice creams in town are at Tutto Gelato , ContrA  Frasche 26 (between the basilica and the duomo), though the Gran CaffA? Garibaldi runs it close. If you want to buy your own food, the alimentari on the Corso are excellent, especially Il Ceppo at no. 196; Porro, just south of the basilica on ContrA  Orefice, is also good.