The Villa Capra, or “La Rotonda”, is a 16th century structure built according to the designs of the great Andrea Palladio in the Vicenza area. It is known today for its supreme symmetry, scenic location and integration of interior and exterior. Put simply, it is one of the most stunning feats of architecture in the world. If you're an architecture lover, find a luxury villa in Veneto and be sure to pay a visit!
The building was commissioned for Paolo Americo, a priest who retired from a Vatican position and wished to retire to his homeland of Vicenza. It was built on a hilltop in what would now be called a suburban area.
The building was commissioned for Paolo Americo, a priest who retired from a Vatican position and wished to retire to his homeland of Vicenza. It was built on a hilltop in what would now be called a suburban area.
It was not originally intended to have a working farm or be a villa in a traditional sense. In fact, Palladio classed it as a palazzo and not a villa.
However, Palladio did intend for the structure to be a retreat from city-living with harmonious symmetry and geometry and a connection of the interior spaces to the majesty of nature outside. Inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, it is a perfectly symmetrical structure with a central circular room set within a square. On each face of the square porticoes look out on a different vista. A dome tops the whole structure.
However, Palladio did intend for the structure to be a retreat from city-living with harmonious symmetry and geometry and a connection of the interior spaces to the majesty of nature outside. Inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, it is a perfectly symmetrical structure with a central circular room set within a square. On each face of the square porticoes look out on a different vista. A dome tops the whole structure.
Its nickname, “the rotunda”, isn't strictly accurate as the building is not circular but rather the intersection of a square with a cross with a rounded dome above.
Geometry is hugely important to the building. The proportions adhered to come from Palladio's own treatise on architecture, “Quattro Libri Dell'Architettura” (Four Books on Architecture). This practice also fits into contemporaneous ideals of, and humanist attitudes towards, mathematics, balance, harmony and proportion.
Inside, each of the principal rooms are painted with frescoes from named artists such as Alessandro and Giovanni Battista Maganza. The most magnificent of these rooms, however, has to be the central circular salone. It is the full height of the house, stretching over two storeys, and decorated in frescoes and trompe l'oeil. The effect is unbelievably grand and breath-taking.
In 1994, the building was designated as part of a UNESCO world heritage site. Its late owner was Mario di Valmarana, a former professor of architecture who wished to preserve Villa Rotonda for future generations. The interior is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays (bar winter months) and the grounds remain open every day.
Make sure you visit this oasis of calm and beauty if you find yourself in Vicenza.
Geometry is hugely important to the building. The proportions adhered to come from Palladio's own treatise on architecture, “Quattro Libri Dell'Architettura” (Four Books on Architecture). This practice also fits into contemporaneous ideals of, and humanist attitudes towards, mathematics, balance, harmony and proportion.
Inside, each of the principal rooms are painted with frescoes from named artists such as Alessandro and Giovanni Battista Maganza. The most magnificent of these rooms, however, has to be the central circular salone. It is the full height of the house, stretching over two storeys, and decorated in frescoes and trompe l'oeil. The effect is unbelievably grand and breath-taking.
In 1994, the building was designated as part of a UNESCO world heritage site. Its late owner was Mario di Valmarana, a former professor of architecture who wished to preserve Villa Rotonda for future generations. The interior is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays (bar winter months) and the grounds remain open every day.
Make sure you visit this oasis of calm and beauty if you find yourself in Vicenza.
Photo credits
picture 1: Marco Bagarella / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 1: Marco Bagarella / CC BY-SA 3.0
