In the twilight of the Renaissance, some 500 years ago, a group of country houses unlike homes ever seen before began to appear. With many noble families being drawn to the area, the need was for something more suited to the countryside than a Venetian palace. They needed a structure that would be magnificent, yet inexpensive, functional and comfortable. With this in mind the architect Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, known to history as Palladio, came up with a plan which was to be the blueprint for the Palladion villas. This and the Four Books of Architecture Palladio wrote after were to revolutionise Western architecture, influencing it to this day.

The villas and various other urban buildings by Palladio are now a world heritage site and a viewing of them shows that he fulfilled the requirements of magnificence and comfort set out by the owners.

With the villas of Vicenza, you get to see the young architect at work. It is here you see Palladio working out his architectural personality, with Villa Poiana at Pojana Maggiore offering the visitor the unique experience of being able to explore a Palladian Villa on the all three levels.

The more celebrated Villas of Andrea Palladio are located in the province of Treviso, and along the Riviera Brenta close to Venice. Here we find the Villa Barbaro famous for its frescoes by Veronese, the Villa Emo which many regard as the Villa that epitomizes Palladio's vision of an ideal Villa, and Villa Foscari (Malcontenta) located on the banks of the Rivera Brenta.

It's probably the Villa Emo that is the highlight for most people touring the Palladian Villas, being the villa that most faithfully follows Palladio’s ideals. The Villa Rotonda is Palladio's most famous building, but it’s not a villa. It was built as a party house, a place to entertain the friends and guests of one Paolo Almerico, and its design was inspired by pagan temples that Palladio had studied during his travels.

Written by  John Johnston.

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