Andrea Palladio ( , ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

architect active in the

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. Palladio, influenced by

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and

Greek architecture Ancient Greek architecture came from the Greeks, or Hellenes, whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, w ...

, primarily

Vitruvius Vitruvius ( ; ; –70 BC – after ) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work titled . As the only treatise on architecture to survive from antiquity, it has been regarded since the Renaissan ...

, is widely considered to be one of the most influential individuals in the

history of architecture The history of architecture traces the changes in architecture through various traditions, regions, overarching stylistic trends, and dates. The beginnings of all these traditions is thought to be humans satisfying the very basic need of shelt ...

. While he designed churches and palaces, he was best known for country houses and villas. His teachings, summarized in the architectural treatise, '' The Four Books of Architecture'', gained him wide recognition. The city of

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

, with its 23 buildings designed by Palladio, and his 24 villas in the Veneto are listed by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

as part of a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

named

City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto is a World Heritage Site in Italy, which protects buildings by the architect Andrea Palladio. UNESCO inscribed the site on the World Heritage List in 1994. At first the site was called " ...

. The churches of Palladio are to be found within the "Venice and its Lagoon" UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Biography and major works

Palladio was born on 30 November 1508 in

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

and was given the name Andrea di Pietro della Gondola (). His father, Pietro, called "della Gondola", was a miller. From an early age, Andrea Palladio was introduced to the work of building. When he was thirteen, his father arranged for him to be an apprentice stonecutter for a period of six years in the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavazza da Sossano, a noted sculptor, whose projects included the altar in the Basilica del Carmine in Padua. Bartolomeo Cavazza is said to have imposed particularly hard working conditions: Palladio fled the workshop in April 1523 and went to Vicenza, but was forced to return to fulfil his contract. In 1524, when his contract was finished, he moved permanently to Vicenza, where he resided for most of his life. He became an assistant to a prominent stonecutter and stonemason, Giovanni di Giacomo da Porlezza in Pedemuro San Biagio, where he joined the guild of stonemasons and bricklayers. He was employed as a stonemason to make monuments and decorative sculptures. His career was unexceptional until 1538–1539; when he had reached the age of thirty, he was employed by the humanist poet and scholar

Gian Giorgio Trissino Gian Giorgio Trissino (8 July 1478 – 8 December 1550), also called Giovan Giorgio Trissino and self-styled as Giovan Giωrgio Trissino, was a Venetian Renaissance humanist, poet, dramatist, diplomat, grammarian, linguist, and philosopher. ...

to rebuild his residence, the Villa Trissino at Cricoli. Trissino was deeply engaged in the study of

ancient Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often consi ...

, particularly the work of

, which had become available in print in 1486. In 1540, Palladio received the formal title of architect. In 1541, he made a first trip to Rome, accompanied by Trissino, to see the classical monuments first-hand. He took another, longer trip to Rome with Trissino from the autumn of 1545 to the first months of 1546, and then another trip in 1546–1547. He also visited and studied the Roman works in Tivoli,

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; , ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Prenestina. It is built upon ...

and Albano. Trissino exposed Palladio to the history and arts of Rome, which gave him inspiration for his future buildings. In 1554 he would publish guides to the city's ancient monuments and churches. Trissino also gave him the name by which he became known, Palladio, an allusion to the Greek goddess of wisdom

Pallas Athene Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress o ...

and to a character in a play by Trissino. The word ''Palladio'' means ''Wise one''.

Early villas

File:Palladio Villa Godi photo.jpg, One of the first works by Palladio,

Villa Godi Villa Godi is a patrician villa in Lugo di Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It was one of the first projects by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, as attested in his monograph ''I quattro libri dell'architettura''. The work was commiss ...

(begun 1537) File:Villa godi valmarana saal.jpg, Hall of the Muses of the

(1537–1542) File:VillaPiovene20070707-1 rect.jpg,

Villa Piovene Villa Piovene is a Palladian villa built in Lugo di Vicenza, province of Vicenza, northern Italy. The building was commissioned in the 16th century for the aristocratic Venetian Piovene family, their architect believed to have been Andrea Pal ...

(1539) File:VillaPisani Bagnolo 2007 07 06 2.jpg,

Villa Pisani, Bagnolo The Villa Pisani is a patrician villa designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, located in Bagnolo, a hamlet in the ''comune'' of Lonigo in the Veneto region of Italy. History The Pisani were a rich family of Venetian nobles who ...

(1542) His earliest work is held to be an addition to Villa Trissino at Cricoli, built before his first trip to Rome. The earliest of his villas is generally considered to be the

(begun 1537). This design already showed the originality of Palladio's conception. A central block is flanked by two wings; the central block is recessed and the two wings are advanced and more prominent. Inside the central block, the ''

piano nobile ( Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ) is the architectural term for the principal floor of a '' palazzo''. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the house ...

'' or main floor opened onto a

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

with a triple arcade, reached by a central stairway. On the reverse of the building, the rounded gallery projects outward to the garden. Palladio made numerous changes and additions over the years, adding lavish frescoes framed by classical columns in the Hall of the Muses of the Villa Godi in the 1550s. In his early works in Vicenza in the 1540s, he sometimes emulated the work of his predecessor

Giulio Romano Giulio Pippi ( – 1 November 1546), known as Giulio Romano and Jules Romain ( , ; ), was an Italian Renaissance painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the ...

, but in doing so he added his own ideas and variations. An example was the

Palazzo Thiene Palazzo Thiene is a 15th-16th-century palace in Vicenza, northern Italy, designed for Marcantonio and Adriano Thiene, probably by Giulio Romano, in 1542,Andrew Hopkins, 2002. ''Italian Architecture from Michelangelo to Borromini''; p. 21. and revi ...

in Vicenza, which Romano had begun but which, after Romano's death, Palladio completed. It was his first construction of a large townhouse. He used Romano's idea for windows by stone ''corbeaux'', a ladder of stone blocks, but Palladio gave the heavy facade a new lightness and grace. Several other villas of this time are attributed to Palladio, including the

(1539) and

Villa Pisani Villa Pisani may refer to: * Villa Pisani, Bagnolo, Andrea Palladio's patrician villa in Bagnolo, Veneto, Italy * Villa Pisani, Montagnana, Andrea Palladio's patrician villa in Montagnana, Veneto, Italy * Villa Pisani, Stra Villa Pisani at Str ...

(1542). Of the Villa Pisani, only the central structure of the original plan remains. The loggia is opened by three arcades beneath a

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

, beneath a

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. The interior of the main hall has a

barrel-vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

ed ceiling lavishly decorated with

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

s of mythological themes.

Urban palaces

One of the most important works of his early Vicenza period is the

Basilica Palladiana The Basilica Palladiana is a Renaissance building in the central Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza, north-eastern Italy. The most notable feature of the edifice is the loggia, which shows one of the first examples of what have come to be known as the ...

(1546), the palace of the city government. Palladio called it "

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

", explaining that the functions and form of a modern city hall resembled those of an ancient Roman Basilica. He did not construct the building from the ground up, but added two-story loggias to the exterior of an older building, which had been finished in 1459. For the facade, Palladio made use of two levels of arcades with rounded arches and columns, which opened the exterior of the building to the interior courtyard. The arcades were divided by columns and small circular windows (''oculi''), with a variety and richness of decorative detail. The building was not completed until 1617, after Palladio's death. Its design had a notable influence on many buildings across Europe, from Portugal to Germany. File:Palazzo Thiene (Vicenza) - courtyard.jpg,

(1542–1558), (begun by

, revised and completed by Palladio) File:Basilica Palladiana (Vicenza) - facade on Piazza dei signori.jpg, Facade of the

(begun 1546) File:Basilica Palladiana 1.jpg, Ground floor and entrance stairway of the Basilica Palladiana File:Palladio Palazzo della Ragione upper.jpg, Upper level loggia of the Basilica Palladiana

Variations of the urban palace

Palazzo Chiericati The Palazzo Chiericati is a Renaissance palace in Vicenza (northern Italy), designed by Andrea Palladio. History Palladio was asked to design and build the palazzo by Count Girolamo Chiericati. The architect started building the palace in 155 ...

(begun in 1550) was another urban palace, built on a city square near the port in

. It was constructed after the Palazzo della Ragione, but it was very different in its plan and decoration. The two-story facade with a double loggia was divided into eleven spaces by rows of

Doric columns The Doric order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of t ...

, while a Doric

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

separated the lower level from the more important ''piano nobile'' above. The original plan of Palladio had the upper level identical to the lower level, but the owners wanted more space for ceremonies, so the central section on the ''piano nobile'' was brought forward and given windows with decorative frontons, doubling the interior space. The Palazzo del Capitaniato, the offices of the Venetian governor of the region, is a later variation on the urban palace, built in Vicenza facing the Basilica Palladiana, and the finest of his late urban palaces. The four brick half-columns on the facade give a strong element of verticality, carefully balanced by the horizontal balustrades on the ''piano nobile'', and on the projecting cornice at the top. The red brick of the walls and columns and the white stone of the balustrades and bases of the columns give another contrast. The facade was later given

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

sculptural decoration in the

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

style, which has considerably deteriorated. File:Palazzo Chiericati (Vicenza).jpg,

(1550) in

File:Palazzo del Capitanio - Vicenza.jpg, Palazzo del Capitaniato (1565–1572)

Classical studies

The success of the Basilica Palladiana propelled Palladio into the top ranks of the architects of Northern Italy. He had travelled to Rome in 1549, hoping to become a Papal architect, but the death of

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...

ended that ambition. His patron, Gian Giorgio Trissino, died in 1550, but in the same year Palladio gained a new supporter, the powerful Venetian aristocrat

Daniele Barbaro Daniele Matteo Alvise Barbaro (also Barbarus) (8 February 1514 – 13 April 1570) was an Italian cleric and diplomat. He was also an architect, writer on architecture, and translator of, and commentator on, Vitruvius. Barbaro's fame is chie ...

. Through Barbaro he became known to the major aristocratic families of Northern Italy. In addition to the

Barbaros Hayreddin Barbarossa (, original name: Khiḍr; ), also known as Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1483 – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's n ...

, the aristocratic Cornaro,

Foscari The House of Foscari () was an ancient Venice, Venetian patrician family, which reached its peak in the 14th–15th centuries, culminating in the Doge of Venice, dogeship of Francesco Foscari (1423–1457). History According to family tradition ...

, and Pisani families supported Palladio's career, while he continued to construct a series of magnificent villas and palaces in Vicenza in his new classical style, including the

in Vicenza, the

Montagnana Montagnana is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Padova, in Veneto (northern Italy). Neighbouring communes are Borgo Veneto, Casale di Scodosia, Urbana, Bevilacqua, Pojana Maggiore, Pressana, Minerbe and Roveredo di Guà. , the popul ...

, and the

Villa Cornaro Villa Cornaro is a patrician villa in Piombino Dese, about 30 km northwest of Venice, Italy. It was designed by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in 1552 and is illustrated and described by him in Book Two of his 1570 masterwo ...

Piombino Dese Piombino Dese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian region Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about north of Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and ...

. Cardinal Barbaro brought Palladio to Rome and encouraged him to publish his studies of

classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De archit ...

. In 1554, he published the first of a series of books, ''Antiquities of Rome''. He continued to compile and write his architectural studies, lavishly illustrated, which were published in full form in 1570 as '' I quattro libri dell'architettura'' (''The Four Books of Architecture''), in Venice. These books, reprinted in different languages and circulated widely in Europe, secured his reputation as the most influential figure in the renewal of classical architecture, a reputation which only continued to grow after his death. File:Palladio Titel 1642.jpg, The front page of '' I quattro libri dell'architettura'' (''The Four Books of Architecture)'' (1642 edition)

Rustic-suburban villas

The type of villa invented by Palladio at the

(begun 1553), located at Piombino Dese near Padua, was a mixture of ''

villa rustica Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...

'' (country house), designed for country living, and a suburban villa, designed for entertaining and impressing. The distinction between the two parts was clearly expressed in the architecture. The central block is nearly square, with two low wings. The rear facade facing the garden has a spacious loggia, or covered terrace, supported by independent columns, on both the ground level and above on the ''piano nobile''. The front facade facing the road has the same plan but with narrower loggias. The Hall of the Four Columns, the grand salon, could be entered by a grand stairway from either the front or back of the house. It has a very high ceiling, creating a large cubic space, and a roof supported by four Doric columns. Palladio placed

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...

s in the walls of this salon, which were later filled with full-length statues of the ancestors of the owner. The more rustic functions of the house were carried on in the adjoining wings. File:VillaCornaro 2007 07 14 front 1.jpg,

(begun 1553) combined rustic living and an imposing space for formal entertaining File:VillaCornaro 2007 07 14 main hall.jpg, The Hall of the Four Columns File:Villa Cornaro pianta Bertotti Scamozzi 1781.jpg, Plan of the Villa Cornaro

Suburban villas

The suburban villa was a particular type of building, a house near a city designed primarily for entertaining.

Villa Barbaro Villa Barbaro, also known as the Villa di Maser, is a large villa at Maser in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It was designed and built by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, with frescos by Paolo Veronese and sculptures by A ...

(begun 1557) at

Maser A maser is a device that produces coherent electromagnetic waves ( microwaves), through amplification by stimulated emission. The term is an acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Nikolay Basov, Alexander Pr ...

was an imposing suburban villa, built for the brothers Marcantonio and

, who were respectively occupied with politics and religious affairs in the

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

, or Venice region. The long facade was perfectly balanced. The interior, following the professions of the brothers, had both classical and religious motifs. The central hall, The Hall of Olympus on the ground floor, was decorated with Roman gods and goddesses, but when one mounted the stairs, the long upper floor was in the form of a cross and Christian images predominate. The villa also has a series of remarkable

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

s and ceiling paintings by

Paolo Veronese Paolo Caliari (152819 April 1588), known as Paolo Veronese ( , ; ), was an Italian Renaissance painter based in Venice, known for extremely large history paintings of religion and mythology, such as ''The Wedding at Cana (Veronese), The Wedding ...

combining mythical themes with scenes of everyday life. Behind the villa, Palladio created a remarkable

nymphaeum A ''nymphaeum'' (Latin : ''nymphaea'') or ''nymphaion'' (), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...

, or Roman fountain, with statues of the gods and goddesses of the major rivers of Italy. The most famous suburban villa constructed by Palladio was the

Villa Capra "La Rotonda" Villa La Rotonda is a Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza in Northern Italy designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, and begun in 1567, though not completed until the 1590s. The villa's official name is Villa Almerico Capra V ...

, not far from Vicenza, begun in 1566 for Count Paolo Almerico, the

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

Pope Pius IV Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...

and

Pope Pius V Pope Pius V, OP (; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (and from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572. He was an ...

. The site is on a gentle wooded hilltop, with views of the countryside in all directions. The villa is perfectly symmetrical, with four identical facades with

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

s around the domed centre. The height of the base is exactly the height of the attic, and the width of each portico is exactly half the length of the facade. The interior frescos were painted by

Ludovico Dorigny Ludovico Dorigny (1654 – 17 October 1742) was a French painter and engraver. Trained in his native country, he spent most of his life and career in Verona, Italy. Life and career Born Louis Dorigny into a family of Parisian artists, Dorigny ...

in 1680–1687, and were not part of Palladio's plan. The building was especially influential, particularly in England and the United States, where it inspired "Neo-Palladianist" buildings such as

Mereworth Castle Mereworth Castle is a grade I listed Palladian country house in Mereworth, Kent, England. This source attributes the plasterwork to Francesco Bagutti, but Giovanni Bagutti would appear to be more likely. History Originally the site of a fort ...

(1724) in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

and Thomas Jefferson's

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

in Virginia (1772). File:Villa Barbaro panoramica fronte Marcok.jpg, The

(begun 1557) File:VillaBarbaro 2007 07 08 09.jpg, The Nymphaeum of the Villa Barbaro File:Veronese Villa Barbaro.jpg, Detail of the Hall of Olympus, with frescoes by

File:Larotonda2009.JPG,

(begun 1566) File:PalladioRotondaPlan.jpg, Palladio's plan of the Villa in '' I quattro libri dell'architettura'', 1570

Villa Foscari Villa Foscari is a villa in Mira, near Venice, northern Italy, designed by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. The home was constructed by Palladio for two patrician brothers. It was built in the mid 1550s. It is also known as ' ...

, also known as "La Malcontenta" for the name of the suburban village near

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

where it is located, faces the Brenta Canal and for this reason, unlike his other villas, it faces south to the canal. The villa is set upon a large base, and the central portico is flanked by two stairways. The upper and lower borders of the ''piano nobile'' are clearly indicated on the facade by darker reddish bands of stone. The same reddish border outlines the pediment over the portico and the attic, and appears on the rear facade. In another departure from traditional villas, the front doors lead directly into the main salon. The salon is let by a virtual wall of glass around the doorway of the south facade. The exterior and interior are closely integrated; the same classical elements own the facade, the columns and pediments, reappear in the interior, decorated with ''

trompe-l'œil ; ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional surface. , which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into perceiving p ...

'' murals on the walls and ceiling. File:Villa Foscari 20070710-1.jpg, North facade of

, facing the Brenta Canal File:Malcontenta grotesque.jpg, Interior decoration of

grotesques Since at least the 18th century (in French and German, as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

on salon ceiling of Villa Foscari File:VillaFoscari20070710-06.jpg, South facade of Villa Foscari, with the large windows that illuminate the main salon

Churches

Daniele Barbaro and his younger brother Marcantonio introduced Palladio to Venice, where he developed his own style of religious architecture, distinct from and equally original as that of his villas. His first project in Venice was the cloister of the church of Santa Maria della Carità (1560–1561), followed by the refectory and then the interior of the San Giorgio Monastery (1560–1562). His style was rather severe compared with the traditional lavishness of

Venetian Renaissance architecture Venetian Renaissance architecture began rather later than in Florence, not really before the 1480s, and throughout the period mostly relied on architects imported from elsewhere in Italy. The city was very rich during the period, and prone to fire ...

. San Georgio Maggiore was later given a new facade by

Vincenzo Scamozzi Vincenzo Scamozzi (2 September 1548 – 7 August 1616) was an Italians, Italian architect and a writer on architecture, active mainly in Vicenza and Republic of Venice area in the second half of the 16th century. He was perhaps the most importan ...

(1610), which integrated it more closely into the Venetian skyline. The original rigorous, perfectly balanced interior is the original work of Palladio. In 1570, he was formally named "Proto della Serenissima" (chief architect of the Republic of Venice), following

Jacopo Sansovino Jacopo d'Antonio Sansovino (2 July 1486 – 27 November 1570) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, best known for his works around the Piazza San Marco in Venice. These are crucial works in the history of Venetian Renaissance arc ...

. File:Nave - San Giorgio Maggiore - Venice 2016 (2).jpg, Nave of

San Giorgio Maggiore San Giorgio Maggiore () is one of the islands of Venice, northern Italy, lying east of the Giudecca and south of the main island group. The island, or more specifically its Palladian church, is an important landmark. It has been much painted, ...

, Venice (1565) File:Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore, Venice, Italy.jpg, ''

Il Redentore The Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore (), commonly known as Il Redentore, is a 16th-century Roman Catholic church located on Giudecca (island) in the ''sestiere'' of Dorsoduro, in the city of Venice, Italy. It was designed by Italian Renaissance ...

'' Church in Venice (1576) File:Chiesa del Redentore (Venice) Interior.jpg, Interior of ''Il Redentore'' Church in Venice (1576)

Last church

The Tempieto Barbaro, built at the end of his life, was one of his most accomplished works. It was begun in 1580 as an addition to the

at Maser. It unites two classical forms, a circle and a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

. The facade features a particularly imposing classical portico, like that of the Pantheon in Rome, placed before two tall

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

s, before an even higher

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

, which covers the church itself. The effect is to draw the eye upward, level by level. Inside, the circular interior is surrounded by eight half-columns and niches with statues. An open balustrade runs around the top of the interior wall, concealing the base of the dome itself, making it appear that the

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

is suspended in the air. This idea would be adopted frequently in later Baroque churches. He achieves a perfect balance between the circle and the cross, and the horizontal and vertical elements, both on the facade and in the interior. File:Tempietto Barbaro - plan de Bertotti Scamozzi.JPG, Plan by Ottavio Bertotti Scamozzi File:TempiettoBarbaro 2007 07 08 01.jpg, Facade of the Tempietto Barbaro File:Tempietto Villa Barbaro sezione Bertotti Scamozzi 1783.jpg, Section of the Tempietto Barbaro, drawn by Scamozzi (1783)

Last work

The final work of Palladio was the

Teatro Olimpico The ("Olympic Theatre") is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy, constructed in 1580–1585. It was the final design by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and was not completed until after his death. The ''trompe-l'œil'' onstag ...

in the Piazza Matteotti in

, built for the theatrical productions of the Olympic Society of Vicenza, of which Palladio was a member. He was asked to produce a design and model, and construction began in February 1580. The back wall of the stage was in the form of an enormous triumphal arch divided into three levels, and three portals through which actors could appear and disappear. This wall was lavishly decorated with columns and niches filled with statuary. The view through the arches gave the illusion of looking down classical streets. The painted ceiling was designed to give the illusion of sitting under an open sky. Behind the hemicycle of seats, Palladio placed a row of Corinthian columns. Palladio died on 19 August 1580, not long after the work was begun. It was completed, with a number of modifications, by

and inaugurated in 1584 with a performance of the tragedy ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' (, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. While some scholars have argued that the play was first performed , this is highly uncertain. Originally, to ...

'' by

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

. File:Interior of Teatro Olimpico (Vicenza) scena .jpg, Stage with scenery designed by

, who completed the theatre after the death of Palladio File:Interior of Teatro Olimpico (Vicenza) - Gradinata.jpg, Stage and seating of his last work, the

(1584)

Personal life

Very little is known of Palladio's personal life. Documents show that he received a dowry in April 1534 from the family of his wife, Allegradonna, the daughter of a carpenter. They had four sons: Leonida, Marcantonio, Orazio and Silla, and a daughter, Zenobia. Two of the sons, Leonida and Orazio, died during a short period in 1572, greatly affecting their father. He died on 19 August 1580 at either Vicenza or Maser, and was buried in the church of Santa Corona in Vicenza. In 1844, a new tomb was built in a chapel dedicated to him in that cemetery.

Influence

Although all of Palladio's buildings are found in a relatively small corner of Italy, they had an influence far beyond. They particularly inspired neoclassical architects in Britain and in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. While he designed churches and urban palaces, his plans for villas and country houses were particularly admired and copied. His books with their detailed illustrations and plans were especially influential. His first book, ''L'Antichida di Roma'' (''Antiquities of Rome'') was published in 1554. He then made architectural drawings to illustrate a book by his patron,

, a commentary on

. His most famous work was '' I quattro libri dell'architettura'' (''The Four Books of Architecture''), published in 1570, which set out rules others could follow. The first book includes studies of decorative styles, classical orders, and materials. He illustrated a rich variety of columns, arcades, pediments, pilasters and other details which were soon adapted and copied. The second book included Palladio's town and country house designs and classical reconstructions. The third book had bridge and basilica designs, city planning designs, and classical halls. The fourth book included information on the reconstruction of ancient Roman temples. The books were translated into many languages, and went through many editions, well into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

France and Germany

Palladio's style inspired several works by

Claude Nicolas Ledoux Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (; 21 March 1736 – 18 November 1806) was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only domestic architecture but also town planning; ...

in France, including the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans, begun in 1775. In Germany,

Johann von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

in his ''

Italian Journey ''Italian Journey'' (in the German original: ) is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's report on his travels to Italy from 1786 to 1788 that was published in 1816 & 1817. The book is based on Goethe's diaries and is smoothed in style, lacks the sponta ...

'' described Palladio as a genius, declaring that his unfinished Convent of Santa Maria della Carità was the most perfect existing work of architecture. The German architects

David Gilly David Gilly (7 January 1748 – 5 May 1808) was a German architect and architecture tutor in Prussia, known as the father of the architect Friedrich Gilly. Life Born in Schwedt, Gilly was the son of a French-born Huguenot immigrant named Jacques ...

and his son

Friedrich Gilly Friedrich David Gilly (16 February 1772 – 3 August 1800) was a German architect and the son of the architect David Gilly. His works are influenced by revolutionary architecture (''Revolutionsarchitektur''). Born in Altdamm, Pomerania, (today ...

were also admirers of Palladio, and constructed palaces for the King of Prussia Frederick-William III in the style, including the

Paretz Palace Paretz is a village in the German state of Brandenburg in the district of Havelland (district), Havelland, west of Berlin. Recently, a district reform made Paretz into a borough of the city of Ketzin. It has a population of approximately 400. In ...

. Friedrich Gilly's work, the National Theatre in Berlin (1798), built for

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

was in the style. Most of the buildings were destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. File:France arc et senas saline royal main building 1.jpg, House of the Director of the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans, by

(1775) File:Parc Monceau - La Rotonde 02-03-06.jpg, La Rotonde customs barrier,

Parc Monceau Parc Monceau (; English: Monceau Park) is a public park situated in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, at the junction of the Boulevard de Courcelles, Rue de Prony and Rue Georges Berger. At the main entrance is a rotunda. The park covers ...

, by

File:Schloss Steinhöfel 14-07-2010 75.jpg, Palladian garden structure at

Steinhöfel Steinhöfel is a municipality in the Oder-Spree district, in Brandenburg, Germany. Since the beginning of 2019 it belongs to the collective municipality " Amt Odervorland" The contemporary municipality of Steinhöfel comprises a total of twelve ph ...

(1798)

England

Palladio's work was especially popular in England, where the villa style was adapted for country houses. The first English architect to adapt Palladio's work was

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was an English architect who was the first significant Architecture of England, architect in England in the early modern era and the first to employ Vitruvius, Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmet ...

, who made a long trip to Vicenza and returned full of Palladian ideas. His first major work in the style was the

Queen's House Queen's House is a former royal residence in the London borough of Greenwich, which presently serves as a public art gallery. It was built between 1616 and 1635 on the grounds of the now demolished Greenwich Palace, a few miles downriver fro ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

(1616–1635), modelled after Palladio's villas.

Wilton House Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution ...

is another adaptation of Palladio's villa plans. It had a particularly famous feature, the Palladio Bridge, designed around 1736. The bridge was extremely popular, and copies were made for other houses, including

Stowe House Stowe House is a grade I listed building, listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of the Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Stowe School and is owned by the Stowe House Preserv ...

. Another variation, the Marble Bridge, was made for Empress

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

of Russia for her gardens at

Tsarskoe Selo Tsarskoye Selo (, , ) was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of Saint Petersburg. The residence now forms part of the town of Pushkin. Tsarskoye Selo forms ...

near

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, Russia. Other English architects, including

Elizabeth Wilbraham Elizabeth, Lady Wilbraham (née Mytton; 14 February 1632 – 27 July 1705) was a member of the English aristocracy, who traditionally has been identified as an important architectural patron. It has been suggested that she was the first woman ar ...

, and

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...

also embraced the Palladian style. Another English admirer was the architect, Richard Boyle, 4th

Earl of Cork Earl of Cork is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, held in conjunction with the Earldom of Orrery since 1753. It was created in 1620 for Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle. He had already been created Lord Boyle, Baron of Youghal, in the County ...

, also known as

Lord Burlington Earl of Burlington is a title that has been created twice, the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 and the second in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831. Since 1858, Earl of Burlington has been a courtesy title used by the duk ...

, who, with

William Kent William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, b ...

, designed

Chiswick House Chiswick House is a Neo-Palladian style villa in the Chiswick district of London, England. A "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London, the house was designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1694–1753 ...

. The Italian-born

Giacomo Leoni Giacomo Leoni (; 1686 – 8 June 1746), also known as James Leoni, was an List of Italian architects, Italian architect, born in Venice. He was a devotee of the work of Florence, Florentine Renaissance architecture, Renaissance architect Leon Ba ...

also constructed Palladian houses in England. File:Queens House 2006.jpg, The

(1616–1635) File:Chiswick House.jpg,

Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork (25 April 1694 – 4 December 1753) was a British architect and noble often called the "Apollo of the Arts" and the "Architect Earl". The son of the 2nd Earl of Burlington and 3rd Ear ...

and

(completed 1729) File:Wilton House.jpg,

south front by

(1650) File:Wilton House bridge over creek.jpg, Palladio Bridge at

(1736–1737) File:Stourhead House - geograph.org.uk - 31721.jpg,

Stourhead Stourhead () is a 1,072-hectare (2,650-acre) estate at the source of the River Stour in the southwest of the English county of Wiltshire, extending into Somerset. The estate is about northwest of the town of Mere and includes a Grade I list ...

House by

Colen Campbell Colen Campbell (15 June 1676 – 13 September 1729) was a pioneering Scottish architect and architectural writer who played an important part in the development of the Georgian style. For most of his career, he resided in Italy and England. As ...

(1721–1724), inspired by

Villa Capra Villa La Rotonda is a Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza in Northern Italy designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, and begun in 1567, though not completed until the 1590s. The villa's official name is Villa Almerico Capra V ...

United States

The influence of Palladio also reached the United States, where the architecture and symbols of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

were adapted for the architecture and institutions of the newly independent nation. The Massachusetts governor and architect

Thomas Dawes Thomas Dawes (August 5, 1731 – January 2, 1809) was a patriot who served as a Massachusetts militia colonel during the American Revolution and afterward assumed prominent positions in Massachusetts's government. His positions included members ...

also admired the style and used it when rebuilding

Harvard Hall Harvard Hall is a Harvard University classroom building in Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Massachusetts. First Harvard Hall The present Harvard Hall replaces an earlier structure of the same name on the same site. The first Harvard Hall was built be ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1766. Palladio's villas inspired

, the residence of the third U.S. President,

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, himself an architect. Jefferson organized a competition for the first

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

building. It was won by

William Thornton William Thornton (May 20, 1759 – March 28, 1828) was an American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol. He also served as the first Architect of the Capitol and first Superintendent of the United Sta ...

with a design inspired in part by Palladio and La Rotonda. The One Hundred Eleventh

Congress of the United States of America A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

called him the "Father of American Architecture" (Congressional Resolution no. 259 of 6 December 2010). His influence can also be seen in American plantation buildings. File:Harvard Hall (Harvard University) - DSC00058.JPG, Harvard Hall at

(1766) File:Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (cropped).JPG,

, residence of

(1772) File:Flickr - USCapitol - Thornton Capitol Winning Design.jpg, Winning design for the first

(1793)

Palladian style

Palladio is known as one of the most influential architects in Western architecture. His architectural works have "been valued for centuries as the quintessence of

High Renaissance In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians stat ...

calm and harmony". The basic elements of

Italian Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought ...

, including Doric columns,

lintels A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented/structural item. In the case of ...

cornices In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

loggias In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only partial, with the ...

pediments Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In ancient ...

and

domes A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

had already been used in the 15th century or earlier, before Palladio. They had been skillfully brought together by

Brunelleschi Filippo di ser Brunellesco di Lippo Lapi (1377 – 15 April 1446), commonly known as Filippo Brunelleschi ( ; ) and also nicknamed Pippo by Leon Battista Alberti, was an Italian architect, designer, goldsmith and sculptor. He is considered to ...

in the

Pazzi Chapel The Pazzi Chapel () is a chapel located in the "first cloister" on the southern flank of the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. Commonly credited to Filippo Brunelleschi, it is considered to be one of the masterpieces of Renaissance ...

(1420) and the Medici-Riccardi Palace (1444–1449). At the beginning of the High Renaissance in the early 16th century,

Bramante Donato Bramante (1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance style to Rom ...

used these elements together in the Tempietto in Rome (1502), which combined a dome and a central plan based on a

Greek Cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

. The architect

Baldassare Peruzzi Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi (7 March 1481 – 6 January 1536) was an Italian architect and painter, born in a small town near Siena (in Ancaiano, ''frazione'' of Sovicille) and died in Rome. He worked for many years with Bramante, Raphael, and l ...

had introduced the first Renaissance suburban villas, based on a Roman model and surrounded by gardens. The

Farnese Palace Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance List of palaces in Italy#Rome, palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and cur ...

in Rome (1530–1580) by Sangallo introduced a new kind of Renaissance palace, with monumental blocks, ornate cornices, lateral wings and multiple stairways.

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

had made a plan for a central dome at

Saint Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian Renaissance architecture, Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the cit ...

and added a new loggia to the facade of the Farnese Palace. All of these plans already existed before Palladio; his contribution was to refine, simplify, and use them in innovative ways. The style of Palladio employed a classical repertoire of elements in new ways. He clearly expressed the function of each part of the building by its form, particularly elevating and giving precedence to the ''

'', the ceremonial floor, of his villas and palaces. As much as possible he simplified the forms, as he did at Villa Capra "La Rotonda", surrounding a circular dome and interior with perfectly square facades, and placing the building pedestal to be more visible and more dramatic. Palladio was inspired by classical Roman architecture, but he did not slavishly imitate it. He chose elements and assembled them in innovative ways appropriate to the site and function of the building. His buildings were often placed on pedestals, raising them and making them more visible, and so they could offer a view. The villas very often had loggias, covered arcades or walkways on the outside of upper levels, which gave a view of the scenery or city below, and also gave variety to the facade. When he designed his rustic villas and suburban villas, he paid particular attention to the site, integrating them as much as possible into nature, either by sites on hilltops or looking out at gardens or rivers. The Serlian window, or Venetian window, also known as a Palladian window, was another common feature of his style, which he used both for windows and the arches of the loggias of his buildings. It consists of an arched window flanked by two smaller square windows, divided by two columns or

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

and often topped by a small

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

and by a small circular window or hole, called an oculus. These particular features originally appeared in the triumphal arches of Rome, and had been used in the earlier Renaissance by

, but Palladio used them in novel ways, particularly in the facade of the

and in the

Villa Pojana Villa Pojana or Poiana, is a patrician villa in Pojana Maggiore, a town of the Province of Vicenza in the Veneto region of Italy. It was designed by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. It is conserved as part of the UNESCO World ...

. They also became a common feature of later Palladian buildings in England and elsewhere. In his later work, particularly the

Palazzo Valmarana Palazzo Valmarana is a palace in Vicenza. It was built by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in 1565 for the noblewoman Isabella Nogarola Valmarana. Since 1994 it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palla ...

and the Palazzo del Capitaniato in Vicenza, his style became more ornate and more decorative, with more sculptural decoration on the facade, tending toward

Mannerism Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

. His buildings in this period were examples of the transition beginning to what would become

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

. File:Villa Badoer Fratta Polesine facciata by Marcok 2009-08-16 n08.jpg, Clarity and harmony.

Villa Badoer Villa Badoer is a villa in Fratta Polesine, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It was designed in 1556 by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio for the Republic of Venice, Venetian noble Francesco Badoer (1512–1572), Francesco Badoe ...

(1556–1563), an early use by Palladio of the elements of a Roman temple File:2017 vicenza 022.jpg, The

, (begun 1546) with arched

Palladian window Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Republic of Venice, Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetr ...

and round

oculi An oculus (; ) is a circular opening in the center of a dome or in a wall. Originating in classical architecture, it is a feature of Byzantine and Neoclassical architecture. A horizontal oculus in the center of a dome is also called opaion (; ...

to the

. File:Villa Pojana photo by Marcok 2009-08-08 n06.jpg, A variation of the Palladian or Venetian window, with round

, at

(1548–1549) File:Stemma del palazzo del Capitaniato.JPG, Late Palladio style,

decoration on the facade of the Palazzo del Capitanio (1565–1572)

Characteristics

Palladio's architecture was not dependent on expensive materials, which must have been an advantage to his more financially pressed clients. Many of his buildings are of brick covered with

. Stuccoed brickwork was always used in his villa designs in order to give the appearance of a classical Roman structure. His success as an architect is based not only on the beauty of his work, but also on its harmony with the culture of his time. His success and influence came from the integration of extraordinary aesthetic quality with expressive characteristics that resonated with his clients' social aspirations. His buildings served to communicate, visually, their place in the social order of their culture. This powerful integration of beauty and the physical representation of social meanings is apparent in three major building types: the urban palazzo, the agricultural villa, and the church. Relative to his trips to Rome, Palladio developed three main palace types by 1556. In 1550, the

was completed. The proportions for the building were based on musical ratios for adjacent rooms. The building was centralized by a tripartite division of a series of columns or

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

s. In 1552, the

Palazzo Porto Palazzo Porto is a palace built by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in Contrà Porti, Vicenza, Italy. It is one of two palaces in the city designed by Palladio for members of the Porto family (the other being Palazzo Porto in Piazza ...

located in Vicenza was rebuilt incorporating the Roman Renaissance element for façades. A colonnade of

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

surrounded a main court. The Palazzo Antonini in Udine, constructed in 1556, had a centralized hall with four columns and service spaces placed relatively toward one side. He used styles of incorporating the six columns, supported by pediments, into the walls as part of the façade. This technique had been applied in his villa designs as well. Palladio experimented with the plan of the Palazzo Porto by incorporating it into the

. It was an earlier project from 1545 to 1550 and remained uncompleted due to elaborate elevations in his designs. He used Mannerist elements such as stucco surface reliefs and large columns, often extending two stories high. File:Palazzo Strozzi - panoramio.jpg,

Palazzo Strozzi Palazzo Strozzi is a palace in Florence, Italy. It is located in the historic centre between the homonymous Via Strozzi and Piazza Strozzi, and Via Tornabuoni. History The construction of the palace was begun in 1489 by Benedetto da Maiano, ...

courtyard File:Villa rotonda.JPG,

outside Vicenza File:San Francesco della vigna.jpg,

San Francesco della Vigna San Francesco della Vigna is a Roman Catholic church in the Sestiere of Castello, Venice, Castello in Venice, northern Italy. History Along with Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, this is one of two Franciscan churches in Venice. The site, original ...

in Venice In his urban structures, he developed a new improved version of the typical early Renaissance palazzo (exemplified by the

). Adapting a new urban palazzo type created by

in the

House of Raphael Palazzo Caprini was a Renaissance palazzo in Rome, Italy, in the Borgo rione between Piazza Scossacavalli and via Alessandrina (also named Borgo Nuovo). It was designed by Donato Bramante around 1510, or a few years before. It was also known ...

, Palladio found a powerful expression of the importance of the owner and his social position. The main living quarters of the owner on the second level were clearly distinguished in importance by the use of a pedimented classical

, centred and raised above the subsidiary and utilitarian ground level (illustrated in the Palazzo Porto and the

). The tallness of the portico was achieved by incorporating the owner's sleeping quarters on the third level, within a

giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''wiktionary:gigas, gigas'', cognate wiktionary:giga-, giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''gia ...

two-story classical colonnade, a motif adapted from

Capitoline The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. The word ''Capitolium'' first referre ...

buildings in Rome. The elevated main floor level became known as the ''piano nobile'', and is still referred to as the "first floor" in Europe. Palladio also established an influential new building format for the agricultural villas of the Venetian aristocracy. Palladio's approach to his villa designs was not relative to his experience in Rome. His designs were based on practicality and employed few reliefs. He consolidated the various stand-alone farm outbuildings into a single impressive structure, arranged as a highly organized whole, dominated by a strong centre and symmetrical side wings, as illustrated at

. In the project of the Villa Barbaro, Palladio most likely was also engaged in the interior decoration. Alongside the painter

, he invented the complex and sophisticated illusionistic landscape paintings that cover the walls of various rooms. The

of 1552, outside Vicenza, was constructed as a summer house with views from all four sides. The plan has centralized circular halls with wings and porticos expanding on all four sides. Palladio began to implement the classical temple front into his design of façades for villas. He felt that to make an entry appear grand, the Roman temple front would be the most suitable style. The Palladian villa configuration often consists of a centralized block raised on an elevated

podium A podium (: podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of a ...

, accessed by grand steps, and flanked by lower service wings, as at

and

. This format, with the quarters of the owners at the elevated centre of their own world, found resonance as a prototype for Italian villas and later for the country estates of the British nobility (such as

, Vanbrugh's Blenheim, Walpole's

Houghton Hall Houghton Hall ( ) is a country house in the parish of Houghton in Norfolk, England. It is the residence of the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley. It was commissioned by the '' de facto'' first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, in 1722, ...

, and Adam's

Kedleston Hall Kedleston Hall is a neo-classical manor house owned by the National Trust, and seat of the :Curzon family, Curzon family, located near Kedleston in Derbyshire, England, approximately 4 miles (6 km) north-west of Derby. The medieval village ...

an
Paxton House
in Scotland). His villas were used by a capitalist gentry who developed an interest in agriculture and land. The configuration was a perfect architectural expression of their worldview, clearly expressing their perceived position in the social order of the times. His influence was extended worldwide into the

British colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...

. Palladio developed his own prototype for the plan of the villas that was flexible to moderate in scale and function. The Palladian villa format was easily adapted for a democratic worldview, as may be seen in

and his arrangement for the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

. It also may be seen applied as recently as 1940 in Pope's

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

in Washington D.C., where the public entry to the world of high culture occupies the exalted centre position. The rustication of exposed

basement A basement is any Storey, floor of a building that is not above the grade plane. Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the Furnace (house heating), furnace, water heating, ...

walls of Victorian residences is a late remnant of the Palladian format, clearly expressed as a podium for the main living space for the family. Similarly, Palladio created a new configuration for the design of Catholic churches that established two interlocking architectural orders, each clearly articulated, yet delineating a hierarchy of a larger order overriding a lesser order. This idea was in direct coincidence with the rising acceptance of the theological ideas of St.

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

, who postulated the notion of two worlds existing simultaneously: the divine world of faith, and the earthly world of humans. Palladio created an architecture which made a visual statement communicating the idea of two superimposed systems, as illustrated at

. In a time when religious dominance in Western culture was threatened by the rising power of science and

secular humanists Secular humanism is a philosophy, belief system, or life stance that embraces human reason, logic, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism, while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis o ...

, this architecture found great favor with the Catholic Church as a clear statement of the proper relationship of the earthly and the spiritual worlds. Aside from Palladio's designs, his publications further contributed to Palladianism. During the second half of his life, Palladio published many books on architecture, most famously, '' I quattro libri dell'architettura'' (''The Four Books of Architecture'', Venice, 1570).

Chronology of the works

Note: The first date given is the beginning of the project, not its completion.Source:

Villas

* 1534 (built 1534–1538): Villa Trissino a Cricoli, Vicenza (once traditionally attributed, but probably designed by

) * 1537 (built 1539–1557):

, for Girolamo, Pietro and Marcantonio Godi, Lonedo di

Lugo di Vicenza Lugo di Vicenza is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is east of SP349 provincial road. Main sights * Villa Godi, designed by Andrea Palladio, in the locality of Lonedo * Villa Piovene, another Palladian villa ...

* (built 1539–1587):

, Lonedo di

Province of Vicenza The province of Vicenza (; ) is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza. The province has an area of 2,722.53 km2, and a total population of 865,082 (as of 2017). There are 113 ''comuni'' (municipalities) in th ...

(uncertain attribution) * Before 1542 (built 1542–): Villa Gazzotti, for Taddeo Gazzotti, Bertesina, Vicenza * 1542 (built 1542–1560): Villa Valmarana, for Giuseppe and Antonio Valmarana, Vigardolo di Monticello Conte Otto, Province of Vicenza * 1542 (built 1542–1545):

, for Vettore, Marco and Daniele Pisani, Bagnolo di

Lonigo Lonigo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy, its population counts around 16,400 inhabitants. In its ''frazione'' of Bagnolo is the Villa Pisani (Bagnolo), Villa Pisani, a Renaissance patrician villa designed ...

, Province of Vicenza * 1542 ? (built before 1545–1550):

Villa Thiene Villa Thiene is a 16th-century villa at Quinto Vicentino in the province of Vicenza. The building as it stands today is the work of several architects one of whom was Andrea Palladio. Like several other projects on which Palladio worked, it was c ...

, for Marcantonio e Adriano Thiene,

Quinto Vicentino Quinto Vicentino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is east of A31. The town is the birthplace of Urbano Lazzaro, the Italian partisan who identified and arrested Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea ...

, Province of Vicenza (probably a re-elaboration of a project by

) * :

Villa Contarini Villa Contarini is a mostly Baroque-style, patrician rural palace in Piazzola sul Brenta, province of Padova, in the region of the Veneto of northern Italy. The villa is spread over a 40 hectare area, with canals, and a lake. Now owned by the g ...

degli Scrigni, for Paolo Contarini and brothers,

Piazzola sul Brenta Piazzola sul Brenta is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Ita ...

Province of Padua The province of Padua () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Padua. Geography It has an area of 2,142 km2, and a total population of 936,492 (2016) making it the most populated provi ...

(attributed) * 1547 (built 1547, 1565): Villa Arnaldi, for Vincenzo Arnaldi, Meledo di

Sarego Sarego is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, north-eastern Italy. It is southwest of Vicenza. SP500 goes through the town of Sarego. Main sights In the ''frazione'' of Meledo, there are two incomplete villas designed by An ...

, Province of Vicenza (unfinished) * (built 1548–before 1555):

Villa Saraceno Villa Saraceno is a Palladian Villa in Agugliaro, Province of Vicenza, northern Italy. It was commissioned by the patrician Saraceno family. History Villa Saraceno has been dated to the 1540s, which makes it one of Andrea Palladio's earlier wor ...

, for Biagio Saraceno, Finale di

Agugliaro Agugliaro is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, north-eastern Italy. It is located east of road SP247 provincial road, between the Berici Hills and the Euganean Hills. In the hamlet of Finale di Agugliaro is the 16th-cent ...

, Province of Vicenza * 1548 (built 1554–1556): Villa Angarano, for Giacomo Angarano,

Bassano del Grappa Bassano del Grappa ( or ''Bassan'', ) is a city and ''comune'', in the Province of Vicenza, Vicenza province, in the region of Veneto, in northern Italy. It bounds the communes of Cassola, Marostica, Solagna, Pove del Grappa, Romano d'Ezzelino, Va ...

, Province of Vicenza (main body of the villa later rebuilt by

Baldassarre Longhena Baldassare Longhena (1598 – 18 February 1682) was an Italian architect, who worked mainly in Venice, where he was one of the greatest exponents of Baroque architecture of the period. His style is characterized by monumentality, skillful use of l ...

; the ''barchesse'' are part of the original) * 1549 (built 1549–1563):

, for Bonifacio Pojana,

Pojana Maggiore Pojana Maggiore is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, north-eastern Italy. It is the site of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Villa Pojana, designed by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. The town has reputation for its ...

, Province of Vicenza * After 1550 (built ): Villa Chiericati, for Giovanni Chiericati, Vancimuglio di

Grumolo delle Abbadesse Grumolo delle Abbadesse is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, north-eastern Italy. It is on SP24 provincial road. The ''frazione'' (hamlet) of Vancimuglio is home to Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( , ; ; 30 November 1 ...

, Province of Vicenza (completed in 1584 by Domenico Groppino after Palladio's death) * 1552 (built 1552; 1569; 1588):

, for Giorgio Cornaro,

, Province of Padua * (built 1552–1555):

, for

Francesco Pisani Francesco Pisani (1494 – 28 June 1570) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal, born in Venice, the son of Alvise Pisani the noted banker, who was Procurator of S. Mark's, a member of the Council of Ten, and a Councilor of the Doge of ...

, Province of Padua * : Villa Ragona Cecchetto, per Girolamo Ragona, Ghizzole di

Montegaldella Montegaldella is a city in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. The highway SP16 runs through the town. Main sights The Villa Conti-Lampertico "La Deliziosa" (Delightful one) was built in the early 17th century; its garden features sta ...

, Province of Padua (unbuilt project) * (built 1553–1554; 1575): Villa Trissino, Meledo di

, Province of Vicenza (only partially realized) * 1554 (built 1554–1558): Villa Porto, for Paolo Porto, Vivaro di

Dueville Dueville () is a town and ''comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also ...

, Province of Vicenza (attributed) * (built 1554–1558):

, for

Daniele Daniele is an Italian male given name, the cognate of the English name Daniel. Danièle is also a French female given name, an alternative spelling of Danielle. The name "Daniel" originates from the Hebrew Bible and is associated with the proph ...

and

Marcantonio Barbaro Marcantonio Barbaro (1518–1595) was an diplomat of the Republic of Venice. Family He was born in Venice into the aristocratic Barbaro family. His father was Francesco di Daniele Barbaro and his mother Elena Pisani, daughter of the banker Alvis ...

Province of Treviso The province of Treviso () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso. The province is surrounded by Province of Belluno, Belluno in the north, Province of Vicenza, Vicenza in the west, Pro ...

* 1554 ? (built 1560–1565):

called "La Malcontenta", for Nicolò and Alvise Foscari, Malcontenta di

Mira Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–300 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus. ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a vari ...

, Province of Venice * 1554 ? (built: 1555 ?):

Villa Zeno Villa Zeno is a patrician villa at Cessalto, Veneto, northern Italy, and is the most easterly villa designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. The building is near the highway between Venice and Trieste, but was built to face a cana ...

, for Marco Zeno, Donegal di

Cessalto Cessalto (trans. Eng.; Hightoilet) is a ''comune'' in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy. It is home to a Monopalladian Villa, the Villa Zeno. References

Cities and towns in Veneto {{Veneto-geo-stub ...

* 1554 ? (built 1560–1564): Villa Mocenigo "sopra la Brenta",

Dolo Dolo may refer to: Places *Dolo, Veneto, a town in the province of Venice, northern Italy *Dolo (river), a river in the Reggio-Emilia province of Italy *Dolo, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso *Dolo, Côtes-d'Armor, a town in France *Dolo, Eth ...

, Province of Venice) (demolished) * 1554 – (built before 1556):

called "La Badoera", for Francesco Badoer,

Fratta Polesine Fratta Polesine ( Venetian: ''Frata Połèzine'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about southwest of Rovigo. Its main attraction is Andrea Palladio's ...

Province of Rovigo The province of Rovigo () is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rovigo. It borders on the north with the provinces of Verona, Padua and Venice, on the south with the province of Ferrara, on the west with the provi ...

* before 1556 (built 1559–1565):

Villa Emo Villa Emo is one of the many creations conceived by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. It is a patrician villa located in the Veneto region of northern Italy, near the village of Fanzolo di Vedelago, in the Province of Treviso. The p ...

, for Leonardo Emo, Fanzolo di

Vedelago Vedelago () is a ''comune'' (municipality) of estimated population of 16,474 in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about northwest of Venice, about east of Vicenza, about north of Padua and about west of Treviso. Th ...

* 1556 (built 1563–1567):

, for Francesco Thiene and sons, Cicogna di

Villafranca Padovana Villafranca Padovana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italy, Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Padua. Villafranca Padovana borders the following municipalities: Campodoro, Li ...

, Province of Padua (unfinished; only a ''barchessa'' remaining) * 1560 ? (built after 1563–before 1565; after 1570 ?):

Villa Repeta Villa Repeta is a patrician villa in Campiglia dei Berici, province of Vicenza, northern Italy. It was built in 1672, substituting a pre-existing villa designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio about 1557 and destroyed by a fire. ...

, for Mario Repeta, Piazza Vecchia,

Campiglia dei Berici Campiglia dei Berici is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is west of SP247 provincial road. It originated in the Middle Ages around a castle, destroyed in the 1310s. Sights include a parish church (13th century, rebuilt in 1679) ...

, Province of Vicenza (destroyed by a fire, then rebuilt in other shape in 1672) * (built before 1569): Big ''barchesse'' of

villa Pisani Villa Pisani may refer to: * Villa Pisani, Bagnolo, Andrea Palladio's patrician villa in Bagnolo, Veneto, Italy * Villa Pisani, Montagnana, Andrea Palladio's patrician villa in Montagnana, Veneto, Italy * Villa Pisani, Stra Villa Pisani at Str ...

, Bagnolo di

, Province of Vicenza (attributed; destroyed) * 1562 (built 1564–1566): Villa Sarego called "La Miga", for Annibale Serego, Miega di

Cologna Veneta Cologna Veneta is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italy, Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about southeast of Verona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,207 and an area of .All demo ...

Province of Verona The province of Verona (Italian: ''provincia di Verona'') is a province of the Veneto region in Italy. On its northwestern border, Lake Garda—Italy's largest—is divided between Verona and the provinces of Brescia (Lombardy region) and Trentin ...

(unfinished, demolished in the 1920s) * c 1563 (built 1564–1566): Villa Valmarana, for Gianfrancesco Valmarana, Lisiera di

Bolzano Vicentino Bolzano Vicentino is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, in the northern Italian region of Veneto. It lies east of the A31 highway, with a population of 5,455. The main attraction is Palladio's Villa Valmarana Scagnolari Zen, situ ...

, Province of Vicenza * After 1564 (built 1565–1570): Villa Forni Cerato, for Girolamo Forni,

Montecchio Precalcino Montecchio Precalcino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is situated on the west side of the Astico creek. The main attraction is the patrician Villa Forni Cerato, attributed by some scholars to Andrea Palladio ...

, Province of Vicenza * 1565 (built 1565–):

Villa Serego Villa Serego or Villa Sarego is a Palladian villa at Santa Sofia di Pedemonte, San Pietro in Cariano in the province of Verona, northern Italy. It was built for the aristocratic Sarego family, and designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea ...

, for Marcantonio Serègo, Santa Sofia di Pedemonte di

San Pietro in Cariano San Pietro in Cariano () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about northwest of Verona. It is located in the geographical region of Valpolicella. The main attrac ...

, Province of Verona * 1566 – 1567 (built 1567–1605): Villa Almerico Capra called "La Rotonda", for Paolo Almerico, Vicenza (completed in 1585 by

after Palladio's death) * 1570 (built 1572–1580): Villa Porto, for Iseppo da Porto, Molina di

Malo Mal, which in Spanish means ''bad or evil'', may also refer to: Places *Malo, Italy, a town *Malo Island, formerly known as St. Bartholomew, Vanuatu *Malo (Solomon Islands), an island * Malo, Washington, Ferry County, Washington, United States * ...

, Province of Vicenza (unfinished) File:Villa Porto (Vivaro di Dueville) 20081204-1.jpg, Villa Porto File:VillaValmaranaScagnolariZen 2007 07 16 01.jpg, Villa Valmarana File:Villa Emo in Fanzolo.jpg,

File:VillaSaraCeno2007 07 11 1.jpg,

File:VillaCornaroPiombino.jpg,

Palaces

* 1540 (built 1540–1542): Palazzo Civena, for Giovanni Giacomo, Pier Antonio, Vincenzo and Francesco Civena, Vicenza (rebuilt in 1750 and after World War II) * 1542 (built 1542–1558):

, for Marcantonio and Adriano Thiene, Vicenza (probably on a project by

) * 1545: Palazzo Garzadori in contra' Piancoli, for Girolamo Garzadori, Vicenza (unbuilt, uncertain attribution) * 1546–1549 (built 1549–1614): Loggias of the Palazzo della Ragione (then called

), Vicenza (completed in 1614 after Palladio's death) * c. 1546 (built: 1546–1552):

, for Iseppo da Porto, Vicenza * 1548 (built 1548–1552): Palazzo Volpe in contra' Gazzolle, for Antonio Volpe, Vicenza (uncertain attribution) * 1550 (built 1551–1557; c. 1680):

, for Girolamo Chiericati, Vicenza (completed about 1680 after Palladio's death) * c. 1555–c. 1566: Palazzo Pojana, for Vincenzo Pojana, Vicenza (attributed) * c. 1555: Palazzo Dalla Torre, for Giambattista Dalla Torre,

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

(only partially realized; partially destroyed by a bombing in 1945) * 1555 ?: Palazzo Poiana in contra' San Tomaso, for Bonifacio Pojana, Vicenza (unfinished) * 1555–1556 ?: Palazzo Garzadori, for Giambattista Garzadori, Polegge, Vicenza (unbuilt project) * c. 1556 (built 1556–1595): Palazzo Antonini, for Floriano Antonini,

Udine Udine ( ; ; ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps. It is the capital of the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity ...

(altered by later arrangements) * After 1556:

Loggia Valmarana The Loggia Valmarana located inside the Salvi gardens, also called Valmarana Salvi gardens, was probably built in 1591 by a student of Andrea Palladio by the will of Gian Luigi Valmarana himself, who wanted this place become a meeting point betwee ...

in the

Giardini Salvi Giardini is a surname of Italian origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Anne Giardini (born 1959), Canadian lawyer and an author * Eliane Giardini (born 1952), Brazilian actress * Felice Giardini (1716–1796), Italian composer and viol ...

, for Gian Luigi Valmarana, Vicenza (uncertain attribution) * 1557–1558: Palazzo Trissino in contra' Riale, for Francesco and Ludovico Trissino, Vicenza (unbuilt project) * 1559 (built 1559–1562): Casa Cogollo, for Pietro Cogollo, traditionally known as ''Casa del Palladio'' ("Palladio's home"), Vicenza (attributed) * 1560 (built 1560–1565; 1574–1575): Palazzo Schio, for Bernardo Schio, Vicenza (façade) * After 1561: Palazzo Della Torre ai Portoni della Bra', for Giambattista Della Torre, Verona (unbuilt project) * 1564 (built 1565–1586): Palazzo Pretorio, for the town council,

Cividale del Friuli Cividale del Friuli (, locally ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in the Regional decentralization entity of Udine, part of the North-Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The town lies above sea-level in the foothills of the eastern Alps, ...

Province of Udine The province of Udine (; ; ; ; ) was a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia, with the capital in the city of Udine. Abolished on 30 September 2017, it was reestablished in 2019 as the Re ...

(project, attributed) * 1564 ?: Palazzo Angaran, for Giacomo Angaran, Vicenza (unbuilt project) * After 1564: Palazzo Capra al Corso, for Giulio Capra, Vicenza (unbuilt project) * 1565 (built 1571–1572): Palazzo del Capitaniato (or Loggia del Capitanio), for the town council, Vicenza * 1565 (built 1566–1580):

, for Isabella Nogarola Valmarana, Vicenza * 1569 (built 1570–1575): Palazzo Barbaran da Porto, for Montano Barbarano, Vicenza * 1571 ? (built 1572–1585): Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello, for Alessandro Porto, Vicenza (unfinished; partially completed in 1615 by

) * 1572 ? (built before 1586–1610s):

Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare is a patrician palace in Vicenza, northern Italy, designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, probably in 1572, and built after Palladio's death by Vincenzo Scamozzi. It is one of the city '' palazzi'' ...

, for Francesco Thiene, Vicenza (progetto; costruito da Vincenzo Scamozzi) * 1574: Rooms of

Palazzo Ducale Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke. Notable palaces with the name include: France *Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon * Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy * ...

, Venice Basilica Palladiana (Vicenza) - facade on Piazza dei signori.jpg,

, Vicenza Palazzo del Capitanio (Vicenza).jpg, Palazzo del Capitaniato, Vicenza Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare Vicenza centro storico.jpg,

, Vicenza

Church architecture

* 1531: Portal for the church of

Santa Maria dei Servi Santa Maria dei Servi may refer to the following churches in Italy: * Santa Maria dei Servi, Bologna Santa Maria dei Servi is a Roman Catholic basilica in Bologna, Italy. It was founded in 1346, as the church of the Servites, Servite Community o ...

, Vicenza (attributed; with Girolamo Pittoni and Giacomo da Porlezza) * 1537: Monument to Girolamo Schio,

Bishop of Vaison The Diocese of Vaison () was a Roman Catholic diocese in France, suppressed in 1801, with its territory transferred to the Diocese of Avignon. It had been one of nine dioceses in the ecclesiastical province presided over by the archbishop of Arles ...

in the

Cathedral of Vicenza Vicenza Cathedral (, ''Duomo di Vicenza'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Vicenza, and is dedicated to the Annunciation, Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. History Construction of t ...

(with Girolamo Pittoni, attributed) * 1558 (built 1558–1559; 1564–1566): Dome of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, Vicenza (destroyed in a bombing during World War II, then rebuilt) * 1559: Façade for the Basilica of

San Pietro di Castello San Pietro di Castello (), formerly Olivolo (; ), is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, forming part of the Castello sestiere. It is linked to the main islands of Venice by two bridges. History The island was the site of a castl ...

, Venice (completed after Palladio's death) * 1560 (built 1560–1563):

Refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...

of the monastery of

, Venezia * 1560 (built 1561–1562):

Convento della Carità A convent is a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters or nuns, or the building used by such a community. Convent or convento may also refer to: Places * Convent, Louisiana, U.S. * Convent Gallery, an art museum in Australia * ...

, Venice (only the

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

and the atrium destroyed in 1630 in a fire) * 1560: Monument to Giano Fregoso in the church of Santa Anastasia of the Dominicans, for Ercole Fregoso, Verona (uncertain attribution; with

Danese Cattaneo Danese Cattaneo (? – 1572) was an Italian sculptor and medallist, active mainly in the Veneto region of Italy. Danese was Tuscan in origin, born in either Massa di Carrara or Colonnata. He produced primarily sculptures of religious and histo ...

) * After 1563: Funeral monument to Luigi Visconti in the cloister of the Chapter in the Basilica of Saint Anthony,

(attributed) * 1564 (built 1564–1565): North portal and Almerico Chapel in the

Vicenza Cathedral Vicenza Cathedral (, ''Duomo di Vicenza'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Vicenza, and is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. History Construction of the cathedral ...

, for Paolo Almerico, Vicenza * 1564: Façade for the church of

, for Giovanni Grimani, Venice * 1565 (built 1565–1576):

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore San Giorgio Maggiore (San Zorzi Mazor in Venetian) is a 16th-century Benedictine church on the island of the same name in Venice, northern Italy, designed by Andrea Palladio, and built between 1566 and 1610. The church is a basilica in the clas ...

, for the Congregation of Santa Giustina, Venice (completed between 1607 and 1611, after Palladio's death, with a different façade, by

) * 1574: Façade for

San Petronio Basilica The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Petronius of Bo ...

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

(studies) * 1574 or 1579 ?: Church of

Le Zitelle Le Zitelle (officially Santa Maria della Presentazione), or “The Spinsters”''Guidecca and San Giorgio Maggiore''. is a church in Venice, Italy. It is part of a former complex which gave shelter to young maidens ("zitelle" in Italian) who had n ...

, Venice (uncertain attribution) * c. 1576 (built 1576–1580): Valmarana Chapel in the Church of Santa Corona, for Isabella Nogarola Valmarana, Vicenza * 1576 (built 1577–1586): Church of

, Venice * 1578 (built 1588–1590): Church of Santa Maria Nova, Vicenza (project attributed, completed after Palladio's death) * 1580: Church of Santa Lucia, Venice (drawings for the interior; demolished) * 1580 (built 1580–1584): Church of

(Tempietto Barbaro), for

, Province of Treviso

Other

* 1536: Portal of the Domus Comestabilis, Vicenza (attributed) * 1550 (built 1550–1552): Bridge on

Cismon The Cismon is a mountain stream (or torrent) in northern Italy, the main tributary of the Brenta River. The torrent flows from the Dolomites mountains in the Trentino Alto-Adige region through the plains of Venetian territory to the bigger Brent ...

Cismon del Grappa Cismon del Grappa is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is east of SS47 state road. Twin towns Cismon del Grappa is twinned with: * Giarre Giarre () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of ...

, Province of Vicenza (destroyed) * 1556: Arco Bollani (an

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

over the road leading to the Udine Castle), for

Domenico Bollani Domenico Bollani (1514–1579) was a diplomat and politician of the Republic of Venice, and as Bishop of Brescia from 1559 to 1579 he was a leading figure of the Catholic reform. Political career Domenico Bollani was born to a noble family in ...

(attributed) * 1561: Wooden theater in the

for the play ''L'Amor Costante'' by

Alessandro Piccolomini Alessandro Piccolomini (13 June 1508 – 12 March 1579) was an Italian humanist, astronomer and philosopher from Siena, who promoted the popularization in the vernacular of Latin and Greek scientific and philosophical treatises. His early works ...

, for the

Accademia Olimpica The ("Olympic Theatre") is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy, constructed in 1580–1585. It was the final design by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and was not completed until after his death. The ''trompe-l'œil'' onstag ...

, Vicenza * 1562: Wooden theater in the Basilica for the play ''Sofonisba'' by Giangiorgio Trissino, for the

, Vicenza * 1566:

Rialto Bridge The Rialto Bridge (; ) is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the ' (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its first construction as a pontoon bridge in 1 ...

(''Ponte di Rialto''), Venice (unbuilt project) * 1567; 1569:

Ponte Vecchio The Ponte Vecchio (; "Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during World War II, it is noted for the shops built along it; ...

, Province of Vicenza (rebuilt in 1748 and after World War II) * 1569 or 1580? (built 1580–1588): Bridge on Tesina,

Torri di Quartesolo Torri di Quartesolo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern-eastern Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of I ...

, Province of Vicenza (attributed) * 1576 (built 1595): Arco delle Scalette, for Giacomo Bragadino, Vicenza (attributed, built after Palladio's death) * 1578: Jewel of Vicenza, for the city as an

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian example ...

, Vicenza (uncertain attribution) * 1579: Porta Gemona, for the town council,

San Daniele del Friuli San Daniele del Friuli () is a (municipality) in the province of Udine, in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about northwest of Udine. San Daniele del Friuli borders these municipalities: Dign ...

, Province of Udine * 1580 (built 1580–1584):

, for the

, Vicenza (completed after Palladio's death by

)

Notes and references

Bibliography

* * Hart, Vaughan, Hicks, Peter (2006), ''Palladio’s Rome''. Translation of Andrea Palladio’s ''L’Antichita di Roma'' and ''Descritione de le chiese…in la città de Roma,'' (1554) including as an appendix Raphael’s famous Letter to Leo X, Yale University Press, London and New Haven, . * * * *

External links

Palladio and Britain
Online exhibition from the Royal Institute of British Architects
Palladio and The Veneto
Online exhibition from the Royal Institute of British Architects
Palladio Centre and Museum in Vicenza, Italy

The Center for Palladian Studies in America, Inc.
website which includes material by the owners of

Official Website of the 500 Years Exhibition in Vicenza – Italy (2008)

Quincentenary of Andrea Palladio's birth – Celebration Committee
Describes a major exhibition touring venues in Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States
Year of PalladioAndrea Palladio on Empty Canon
* ttp://davidlinley.live.venda.com/features/David-Linley-looks-at-the-influence-of-Andrea-Palladio/page/palladio David Linley on the influence of Andrea Palladiobr>How I Spent A Few Days in Palladio's World, The Wall Street Journal, 3 March 2009All He Surveyed, Paul Goldberger, The New Yorker, 30 March 2009Principles of Palladio's Architecture: II, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 1945Nature and Antiquity in the Work of Andrea Palladio, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, September 2000Digital images of 1721 and 1742 edition of The architecture of A. Palladio''Quattro libri dell'architettura''
From th
Rare Book and Special Collections Division
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Andrea Palladio Architecture on Google Maps
*Bertotti Scamozzi, Ottavio, " Le fabbriche e i disegni di Andrea Palladio : raccolta ed illustrati" 1776 {{DEFAULTSORT:Palladio, Andrea Andrea Palladio Italian Renaissance architects 1508 births 1580 deaths Architectural theoreticians Republic of Venice architects Italian architecture writers Italian male non-fiction writers 16th-century Italian architects Italian Roman Catholics * Architects from Padua

Biography and major works

Early villas

Urban palaces

Variations of the urban palace

Classical studies

Rustic-suburban villas

Suburban villas

Churches

Last church

Last work

Personal life

Influence

France and Germany

England

United States

Archives

Palladian style

Characteristics

Chronology of the works

Villas

Palaces

Church architecture

Other

See also

Notes and references

Bibliography

External links