Hotels Vercelli, Guesthouses Vercelli and Residences Vercelli

Vercelli, a provincial capital of Piedmont, has been a lively cultural centre since ancient times. The seat of the oldest university in the region (which was founded in ‘200), it became an important municipium during the Roman Empire, and was consequently embellished with impressive monuments, theatres and amphitheatres.

Today, Vercelli is an appreciated holiday destination, since its old town cherishes important monuments and outstanding works of art. It gathers a remarkably wide array of accommodation options which are able to suit even visitors' most demanding requirements. Important art exhibitions and music festivals attract large numbers of tourists, who can stay at comfortable 3-star guesthouses and luxury 4-star hotels while attending G. B. Viotti International Contest and Festival, an absorbing music festival which takes place once or twice a month from August to May in the Basilica of St. Andrea, the Civic Theatre and the Church of St. Cristoforo.
Intimate bed and breakfasts and budget hotels give visitors the possibility to enjoy cheap stays a short distance from the major tourist highlights.

Vercelli has one major architectural treasure, the 13th-century Basilica of St. Andrea, the first example of Italian architecture to be influenced by the Romanesque-Gothic style of Northern France (note the beautiful vaulted nave and the flying buttresses, typical Gothic elements). Overall, however, the Basilica remains a stunning achievement in Romanesque architecture. The facade, curiously, changes colour halfway up, the blue-grey of the lower part turning to red and white in the twin towers: these are linked by a double arcade. The three-aisled interior is gently illuminated through rose windows. The XIV-century muted decoration is largely focused on the vaulting, which is supported by tall, slender shafts. Vercelli's other important historic buildings are not far away, including the imposing Neoclassical Cathedral and the adjoining XII-century bell tower.
Heading to the city centre, it is possible to reach Piazza Cavour, which is dominated by the medieval Torre dell’Angelo and Torre di Città, and surrounded by pointed arches and sumptuous medieval, Renaissance and Baroque palaces. A short distance are Camillo Leone Museum, which hosts precious collections gathering archaeological finds and ancient works of art, and, along Via Borgogna, the Neoclassical palace where the illustrious Borgogna family lived in the XIX century, which is now the seat of Borgogna Museum. It is the best place to admire Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces by great Italian, Flemish and Dutch artists. The former Church of St. Marco di Vercelli too has recently been turned into a large exhibition hall dedicated to contemporary art which often stages interesting displays and expositions.
Not to be missed are the Church of St. Cristoforo, which contains frescos realized by Gaudenzio Ferrari, the main Renaissance artist of the city, the beautiful Synagogue situated in Via Foa  and the Complex of St. Chiara, which gathers several buildings dating back to different ages. In front of the Church of St. Chiara is Corso Libertà, Vercelli's main shopping street, which has handful of attractive houses and courtyards and is scattered with glamorous shops, lively bars and traditional gathering places attracting both tourists and local inhabitants.