A villa virtuoso
Veneto
Magazine: April 2008
The White House or the fabulous villas from Gone with the Wind…there are many residential buildings that are linked to the genius of Andrea Palladio. There is not any another type of architecture closely connected to just one name, as is the case of “villa” and Palladio. Born in Padova, Andrea della Gondola started his trade as a stonemason: during the reconstruction work on the villa of a well-known proprietor, Gian Giorgio Trissino, he revealed such extraordinary talent that Trissino became his patron, changing his name to Palladio. Very soon Andrea became a star of the Republic of Venice, designing palaces and churches but especially aristocratic country houses. The high renaissance looked to the past gaining inspiration, geometry and beauty from the Greek and Roman civilizations. Suddenly it became fashionable to live in a villa. It is estimated that around 4.000 Venetian villas were constructed between the ‘500s and the early ‘800s. There are about twenty Palladino villas around Vicenza, Treviso, Venice, Padova and Rovigo. All can be visited and are perfect examples of the master’s style. Vicenza is top the Palladino itinery. There are two masterpieces. The Olympic Theatre inspired by the Greek Roman model and the Villa Capra, better known as the Rotonda. With its central structure and the four formal columns like a temple, the Rotonda is a refl ection of order and superior harmony.
Dettaglio |
