This is Andrea Palladio’s masterpiece, located just outside Vicenza. It was commissioned by the Mon-signor Paolo Almerico, who wanted to retire here in the last period of his life. It is certainly the most famous and the symbol itself of all the Villas in Veneto. It was built in 1570 by Palladio, who used one of his projects made when he was younger. After his death in 1580 it was completed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, who made a less high dome and added some rustic buildings.
The villa stands on top of a little hill in a low but dominating position. Palladio’s idea was to build a villa-temple characteristic of the Roman classicism and typical of the Reinassance, and this explains why he chose to use sacred elements like the central plan, the pronao and the dome as they appeared to be in the Pantheon. The building consists of a cube-shaped body topped by a dome. To the four equal façades four pronaoi are annexed: they have six Ionic columns topped with elegant indented pediments and can be reached by means of wide staircases. Under the dome there is the central hall - it is a rotunda as its name suggests , and from it four corridors lead to the pronaoi. The hall is full of mouldings, stuccoes, statues and frescoes. The corridors separate apartments - each of them consisting of a rectangular hall and a square little hall - at the four angles of the plan. The walls of the halls were richly painted in fresco in the late 16th century by Anselmo Canera and by Alessandro Maganza, author of the allegorical scenes on the dome as well, and then, in the early 18th century by the French painter Louis Dorigny. Magni-ficent stuccoes on the ceilings and on the fire-places were made by an equipe of sculptors including Ottaviano Ridolfi and Agostino Rubini.
The statues along the entrance staircases are of Lorenzo Rubini, whereas the ones on the tympana are of Gianbattista Albanese. The building is surrounded by a landscape garden of English style. Exalted by Goethe, who visited it many times, Villa Almerico Capra Valma-rana called “The Rotonda” is included in the World Heritage List of Unesco. Upon agreement via phone call or letter it is possible to visit the villa also out of the established periods and timetables.
Via della Rotonda, n° 45 - 36100 Vicenza
Tel: +39 049 8790879 Fax: +39 049 8791380