By Elizabeth Heath
Elizabeth is a writer for Travel + Leisure, National Geographic, Discover Magazine, The Washington Post, and many other outlets. She’s also the Rome author for Frommer's Travel Guides. You can follow her on Instagram HERE.
The Veneto region is, of course, known for its most famous city — Venice. But this corner of Northern Italy is also practically synonymous with one name: Andrea Palladio. The renowned architect, active in the 16th century, or during Italy’s late Renaissance era, developed a style that became known as Palladianism.
Palladio drew on the Greek and Roman principles of symmetry and order that characterized earlier Renaissance works of Brunelleschi, Bramante and Michelangelo, and added to them an elegance and sense of grandeur that came to define the period, especially in the Veneto.
While he designed urban palaces and churches, Palladio is best known for the agricultural villas he designed for noble families across the Veneto. The term may conjure up images of charming stone farmhouses, but Palladio’s agricultural villas were far from rustic — they were grand and imposing rural mansions intended to emphasize the wealth and status of the landowner. Usually set high on a pediment, Palladian villas also provided their well-heeled residents with privileged viewpoints from where the literal lords and ladies of the manor could admire their vast landholdings and impress visitors.
Today’s visitors are equally impressed by the 24 Palladian villas that dot the Veneto. Together with 23 Palladio-designed buildings in Vicenza, the Palladian villas of the Veneto comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for their distinct style and Palladio’s lasting influence on European, and later, US architecture. Several of the villas, including some still privately owned, are open to the public.
Here, we’ve rounded up some of the most important of these that are accessible to visitors and that best illustrate the famed architect’s journey to full-on Palladian style.
Villa La Rotonda
La Rotonda was inspired by the Pantheon and went on to serve as a blueprint for a thousand imitators. Villa Almerico Capra, more commonly known as “La Rotunda” for its circular, domed central hall, is easily the most famous of the Palladian villas. Accessed from four sides by monumental staircases, the light-filled villa sits high on a pediment, which gives it a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. Palladio designed the villa in the 1560s, though it was not completed until 1685, five years after his death. The villa remains in private hands but it is open to the public on the weekends, as well as for private tours.
Villa La Malcontenta
aka Villa Foscari
Villa La Malcontenta. Image Credit: Shutterstock
Originally known as Villa Foscari, La Malcontenta — or “the discontented”, allegedly named for an unhappy bride closed up in the villa — sits on a curve on the Brenta Canal, once an important waterway for commerce and travel in the Veneto. Villa Foscari is noteworthy for its elevated position — it was impossible to build a basement in this marshy area, so the basement level is “hidden” in the tall pediment. After changing hands for centuries and enduring years of abandonment, the richly frescoed villa is now again owned by Foscari family, who open it for visits from the spring to the fall.
Villa Barbaro
aka Villa Maser
Villa Barbaro/ Maser. Image credit: Shutterstock
Also known as Villa di Maser, this graceful estate near the River Piave is composed of a central house and two wings designed for agricultural use. A key attraction of the main house are rooms frescoed by Paolo Veronese. The Barbaro Temple, a small, round church, is on the grounds, as is a nymphaeum and a working winery. Villa Barbaro is one of the most accessible of the Palladian Villas — it is open to the public year-round and reservations are not required. Wine tours and tastings can be booked separately. There’s also a restaurant on the grounds.
Villa Emo
Considered the archetype of late Palladian style, this sprawling villa outside of Treviso epitomizes the architect’s approach of uniting the noble manor with the agricultural functions of the estate — the main house is flanked by two large barchesse, or barns, yet distinct from them due to its raised pediment and square design. Covered collonades and monumental steps, both inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, are key design elements here. Villa Emo is open to the public all year, with limited winter hours.
Villa Godi
Villa Godi. Image credit: Shuuterstock
The first villa Palladio was commissioned to design, Villa Godi, set near the River Astico, displays the architect’s trademark symmetry, but lacks the ornamentation that came to typify his later works. The villa has sweeping views of the river and countryside, though feels less in harmony with its surroundings as compared to Palladio’s later work. Open to the public year-round, Villa Godi has parklike gardens, a gift shop and a restaurant.
JOIN ME ON A WINE + CULTURE TOUR OF PALLADIO’S HOME REGION
In addition to visiting a Palladian villa or two, you will learn about the Veneto’s history, culture, wine (Prosecco, Soave, Valpolicella and Amarone, anyone?) and cuisine of this incredible region stretching from Venice on the Adriatic Sea to Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake.
