The Cappelleria Palladio, a real paradise for headwear connoisseurs, has been operating since the beginning of last century in the historical centre of Vicenza, close to the charming Piazza dei Signori, right where Contrà (ie street) Pescherie Vecchie joins Piazzetta Palladio, under the shade of the famous 16th century architect’s statue.
The shop is devoted to headwear only, whose history and evolution are carefully regarded and followed, and constitutes a tribute to hatmakers’ craftsmanship.
A wide range of Italian and foreign brands includes countless and very special models, such as “Panamas” directly from Ecuador, crocodile tooth embellished Australian hats, hemp “coppola” caps, English/French/Irish cotton/linen/silk/wool waterproof or felt caps, “painter’s” caps, Florentine straw hats, crocheted skull-caps, elegant summer ceremony hats, fur busbies, diplomatic hats, waterproof Arizona cow-boy hats, raffia hats, warm wool bonnets, fashionable coloured hats, cashmere caps and neckwear for wintertime.
The shop also has an interesting private collection, with rare pieces, such as the mole skin top hat, the Churchill’s Homburg hat, the sealskin and wolfskin busbies, the Shikar Helmet (a 19th century colonial helmet), the Venetian tricorns, the hats of Tyrolese costumes, the fezzes, the sombreros, the English Bobby’s helmet, the Indian turbans and many more, along with traditional tools for manufacture and repair of hats as well as a collection of books, prints, and essays on history and use of headwear over the centuries.
The Cappelleria Palladio, which has been classified as “historic shop” some years ago, boasts a mixed clientele, both in terms of age and origin, and sells headwear not only to the people in Vicenza but also to Italians in many other regions and foreigners from all parts of the world, who are lured to Vicenza by Palladio’s architecture, the Gold Fair, the performances at the Teatro Olimpico and the Teatro Comunale as well as the proximity to well renowned historical and touristic attractions such as Bassano del Grappa and the Altopiano (highland) of Asiago.
This fascinating shop, which is every day photographed by tourists and fans and is often taken as a background for photo and film sets, with its unique range of hats old and new is well worth a visit, not only for hat fans but also for anyone with a passing interest in clothes.