Misplaced Pages

Palazzo Porto, Vicenza

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
#228771

138-634: Palazzo Porto is a palace built by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in Contrà Porti, Vicenza , Italy. It is one of two palaces in the city designed by Palladio for members of the Porto family (the other being Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello ). Commissioned by the noble Iseppo da Porto, just married (about 1544), this building had a rather long designing stage and a longer and troublesome realization, partially unfinished. In 1994, UNESCO included

276-399: A Palladian window, was another common feature of his style, which he used both for windows and the arches of the loggias of his buildings. It consists of an arched window flanked by two smaller square windows, divided by two columns or pilasters and often topped by a small entablature and by a small circular window or hole, called an oculus . These particular features originally appeared in

414-517: A Papal architect, but the death of Pope Paul III ended that ambition. His patron, Gian Giorgio Trissino, died in 1550, but in the same year Palladio gained a new supporter, the powerful Venetian aristocrat Daniele Barbaro . Through Barbaro he became known to the major aristocratic families of Northern Italy. In addition to the Barbaros , the aristocratic Cornaro , Foscari , and Pisani families supported Palladio's career, while he continued to construct

552-519: A Temple of Jupiter at the north end, and would also contain other temples, as well as the basilica ; a public weights and measures table, so customers at the market could ensure they were not being sold short measures; and would often have the baths nearby. A horreum was a type of public warehouse used during the ancient Roman period. Although the Latin term is often used to refer to granaries , Roman horrea were used to store many other types of consumables;

690-486: A capitalist gentry who developed an interest in agriculture and land. The configuration was a perfect architectural expression of their worldview, clearly expressing their perceived position in the social order of the times. His influence was extended worldwide into the British colonies . Palladio developed his own prototype for the plan of the villas that was flexible to moderate in scale and function. The Palladian villa format

828-633: A centralized block raised on an elevated podium , accessed by grand steps, and flanked by lower service wings, as at Villa Foscari and Villa Badoer . This format, with the quarters of the owners at the elevated centre of their own world, found resonance as a prototype for Italian villas and later for the country estates of the British nobility (such as Lord Burlington 's Chiswick House , Vanbrugh's Blenheim , Walpole's Houghton Hall , and Adam's Kedleston Hall and Paxton House in Scotland). His villas were used by

966-449: A circular dome and interior with perfectly square facades, and placing the building pedestal to be more visible and more dramatic. Palladio was inspired by classical Roman architecture, but he did not slavishly imitate it. He chose elements and assembled them in innovative ways appropriate to the site and function of the building. His buildings were often placed on pedestals, raising them and making them more visible, and so they could offer

1104-581: A competition for the first United States Capitol building. It was won by William Thornton with a design inspired in part by Palladio and La Rotonda . The One Hundred Eleventh Congress of the United States of America called him the "Father of American Architecture" (Congressional Resolution no. 259 of 6 December 2010). His influence can also be seen in American plantation buildings . More than 330 of Palladio's original drawings and sketches still survive in

1242-442: A degree of painted colourful murals on the walls. Examples have been found of jungle scenes with wild animals and exotic plants. Imitation windows ( trompe-l'œil ) were sometimes painted to make the rooms seem less confined. Ancient Rome had elaborate and luxurious houses owned by the elite. The average house, or in cities apartment, of a commoner or plebeius did not contain many luxuries. The domus , or single-family residence,

1380-417: A double loggia was divided into eleven spaces by rows of Doric columns , while a Doric cornice separated the lower level from the more important piano nobile above. The original plan of Palladio had the upper level identical to the lower level, but the owners wanted more space for ceremonies, so the central section on the piano nobile was brought forward and given windows with decorative frontons, doubling

1518-400: A grand stairway from either the front or back of the house. It has a very high ceiling, creating a large cubic space, and a roof supported by four Doric columns. Palladio placed niches in the walls of this salon, which were later filled with full-length statues of the ancestors of the owner. The more rustic functions of the house were carried on in the adjoining wings. The suburban villa was

SECTION 10

#1732851977229

1656-553: A great deal of weight. The first use of concrete by the Romans was in the town of Cosa sometime after 273 BC. Ancient Roman concrete was a mixture of lime mortar , aggregate , pozzolana , water, and stones , and was stronger than previously used concretes. The ancient builders placed these ingredients in wooden frames where they hardened and bonded to a facing of stones or (more frequently) bricks. The aggregates used were often much larger than in modern concrete, amounting to rubble. When

1794-493: A highly organized whole, dominated by a strong centre and symmetrical side wings, as illustrated at Villa Barbaro . In the project of the Villa Barbaro, Palladio most likely was also engaged in the interior decoration. Alongside the painter Paolo Veronese , he invented the complex and sophisticated illusionistic landscape paintings that cover the walls of various rooms. The Villa Capra "La Rotonda" of 1552, outside Vicenza,

1932-403: A large base, and the central portico is flanked by two stairways. The upper and lower borders of the piano nobile are clearly indicated on the facade by darker reddish bands of stone. The same reddish border outlines the pediment over the portico and the attic, and appears on the rear facade. In another departure from traditional villas, the front doors lead directly into the main salon. The salon

2070-438: A load-bearing wall. In smaller-scale architecture, concrete's strength freed the floor plan from rectangular cells to a more free-flowing environment. Factors such as wealth and high population densities in cities forced the ancient Romans to discover new architectural solutions of their own. The use of vaults and arches , together with a sound knowledge of building materials, enabled them to achieve unprecedented successes in

2208-510: A load-bearing wall. In smaller-scale architecture, concrete's strength freed the floor plan from rectangular cells to a more free-flowing environment. Most of these developments are described by Vitruvius , writing in the first century BC in his work De architectura . Although concrete had been used on a minor scale in Mesopotamia, Roman architects perfected Roman concrete and used it in buildings where it could stand on its own and support

2346-549: A marketplace, a forum was a gathering place of great social significance, and often the scene of diverse activities, including political discussions and debates, rendezvous, meetings, etc. The best known example is the Roman Forum , the earliest of several in Rome. In new Roman towns the forum was usually located at, or just off, the intersection of the main north–south and east–west streets (the cardo and decumanus ). All forums would have

2484-485: A median strip running along the length of about two thirds the track, joined at one end with a semicircular section and at the other end with an undivided section of track closed (in most cases) by a distinctive starting gate known as the carceres , thereby creating a circuit for the races. During the years of the Republic, Augustus claimed he "found the city in brick and left it in marble". While chances are high that this

2622-457: A modern city hall resembled those of an ancient Roman Basilica. He did not construct the building from the ground up, but added two-story loggias to the exterior of an older building, which had been finished in 1459. For the facade, Palladio made use of two levels of arcades with rounded arches and columns, which opened the exterior of the building to the interior courtyard. The arcades were divided by columns and small circular windows ( oculi ), with

2760-555: A new improved version of the typical early Renaissance palazzo (exemplified by the Palazzo Strozzi ). Adapting a new urban palazzo type created by Bramante in the House of Raphael , Palladio found a powerful expression of the importance of the owner and his social position. The main living quarters of the owner on the second level were clearly distinguished in importance by the use of a pedimented classical portico , centred and raised above

2898-452: A particular type of building, a house near a city designed primarily for entertaining. Villa Barbaro (begun 1557) at Maser was an imposing suburban villa, built for the brothers Marcantonio and Daniele Barbaro , who were respectively occupied with politics and religious affairs in the Veneto , or Venice region. The long facade was perfectly balanced. The interior, following the professions of

SECTION 20

#1732851977229

3036-460: A particularly imposing classical portico, like that of the Pantheon in Rome, placed before two tall bell towers , before an even higher cupola , which covers the church itself. The effect is to draw the eye upward, level by level. Inside, the circular interior is surrounded by eight half-columns and niches with statues. An open balustrade runs around the top of the interior wall, concealing the base of

3174-474: A rich variety of columns, arcades, pediments, pilasters and other details which were soon adapted and copied. The second book included Palladio's town and country house designs and classical reconstructions. The third book had bridge and basilica designs, city planning designs, and classical halls. The fourth book included information on the reconstruction of ancient Roman temples. The books were translated into many languages, and went through many editions, well into

3312-555: A scraper made of wood or bone. Roman bath-houses were also provided for private villas , town houses and forts . They were normally supplied with water from an adjacent river or stream, or by aqueduct . The design of thermae is discussed by Vitruvius in De architectura . Roman temples were among the most important and richest buildings in Roman culture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete state. Their construction and maintenance

3450-1143: A series of magnificent villas and palaces in Vicenza in his new classical style, including the Palazzo Chiericati in Vicenza, the Villa Pisani in Montagnana , and the Villa Cornaro in Piombino Dese . Cardinal Barbaro brought Palladio to Rome and encouraged him to publish his studies of classical architecture . In 1554, he published the first of a series of books, Antiquities of Rome . He continued to compile and write his architectural studies, lavishly illustrated, which were published in full form in 1570 as I quattro libri dell'architettura ( The Four Books of Architecture ), in Venice. These books, reprinted in different languages and circulated widely in Europe, secured his reputation as

3588-520: A stonemason to make monuments and decorative sculptures. His career was unexceptional until 1538–1539; when he had reached the age of thirty, he was employed by the humanist poet and scholar Gian Giorgio Trissino to rebuild his residence, the Villa Trissino at Cricoli. Trissino was deeply engaged in the study of ancient Roman architecture , particularly the work of Vitruvius , which had become available in print in 1486. In 1540, Palladio received

3726-412: A structure which survives to this day. A smaller lighthouse at Dover , England also exists as a ruin about half the height of the original. The light would have been provided by a fire at the top of the structure. All Roman cities had at least one thermae , a popular facility for public bathing, exercising and socializing. Exercise might include wrestling and weightlifting, as well as swimming. Bathing

3864-554: A variety and richness of decorative detail. The building was not completed until 1617, after Palladio's death. Its design had a notable influence on many buildings across Europe, from Portugal to Germany. Palazzo Chiericati (begun in 1550) was another urban palace, built on a city square near the port in Vicenza . It was constructed after the Palazzo della Ragione , but it was very different in its plan and decoration. The two-story facade with

4002-459: A view. The villas very often had loggias, covered arcades or walkways on the outside of upper levels, which gave a view of the scenery or city below, and also gave variety to the facade. When he designed his rustic villas and suburban villas, he paid particular attention to the site, integrating them as much as possible into nature, either by sites on hilltops or looking out at gardens or rivers. The Serlian window, or Venetian window , also known as

4140-533: A whole room (cella), a closet (armarium), or only a chest or strong box (arca, arcula, locus, loculus)." Multi-story apartment blocks called insulae catered to a range of residential needs. The cheapest rooms were at the top owing to the inability to escape in the event of a fire and the lack of piped water. Windows were mostly small, facing the street, with iron security bars. Insulae were often dangerous, unhealthy, and prone to fires because of overcrowding and haphazard cooking arrangements. There are examples in

4278-473: Is a late remnant of the Palladian format, clearly expressed as a podium for the main living space for the family. Similarly, Palladio created a new configuration for the design of Catholic churches that established two interlocking architectural orders, each clearly articulated, yet delineating a hierarchy of a larger order overriding a lesser order. This idea was in direct coincidence with the rising acceptance of

Palazzo Porto, Vicenza - Misplaced Pages Continue

4416-553: Is arguably the Roman contribution most relevant to modern architecture. The amphitheatre was, with the triumphal arch and basilica , the only major new type of building developed by the Romans. Some of the most impressive secular buildings are the amphitheatres, over 200 being known and many of which are well preserved, such as that at Arles , as well as its progenitor, the Colosseum in Rome. They were used for gladiatorial contests, public displays, public meetings and bullfights ,

4554-564: Is constructed from Roman bricks 15" square by 1½" thick. There is often little obvious difference (particularly when only fragments survive) between Roman bricks used for walls on the one hand, and tiles used for roofing or flooring on the other, so archaeologists sometimes prefer to employ the generic term ceramic building material (or CBM). The Romans perfected brick-making during the first century of their empire and used it ubiquitously, in public and private construction alike. They took their brickmaking skills everywhere they went, introducing

4692-497: Is here reinterpreted, with Palladio observing the Vicentine custom of living on the ground floor, which is higher as a result. The splendid, four-columned atrium represents Palladio's reinterpretation of Vitruvian spaces, but one where traditional Vicentine typologies also survive. The two rooms to the left of the atrium were frescoed by Paolo Veronese and Domenico Brusasorzi , while the stuccoes are by Bartolomeo Ridolfi . On

4830-516: Is let by a virtual wall of glass around the doorway of the south facade. The exterior and interior are closely integrated; the same classical elements own the facade, the columns and pediments, reappear in the interior, decorated with trompe-l'œil murals on the walls and ceiling. Daniele Barbaro and his younger brother Marcantonio introduced Palladio to Venice, where he developed his own style of religious architecture, distinct from and equally original as that of his villas. His first project in Venice

4968-414: Is not found especially close to Rome, and was only rarely used there before Augustus , who famously boasted that he had found Rome made of brick and left it made of marble, though this was mainly as a facing for brick or concrete. The Temple of Hercules Victor of the late 2nd century BC is the earliest surviving exception in Rome. From Augustus' reign the quarries at Carrara were extensively developed for

5106-470: Is opened by three arcades beneath a frieze , beneath a pediment . The interior of the main hall has a barrel-vaulted ceiling lavishly decorated with murals of mythological themes. One of the most important works of his early Vicenza period is the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza (1546), the palace of the city government. Palladio called it " Basilica ", explaining that the functions and form of

5244-479: Is still referred to as the "first floor" in Europe. Palladio also established an influential new building format for the agricultural villas of the Venetian aristocracy. Palladio's approach to his villa designs was not relative to his experience in Rome. His designs were based on practicality and employed few reliefs. He consolidated the various stand-alone farm outbuildings into a single impressive structure, arranged as

5382-424: Is the beginning of the project, not its completion. Architecture of ancient Rome Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans , but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered one body of classical architecture . Roman architecture flourished in

5520-470: Is the original work of Palladio. In 1570, he was formally named "Proto della Serenissima" (chief architect of the Republic of Venice), following Jacopo Sansovino . The Tempieto Barbaro , built at the end of his life, was one of his most accomplished works. It was begun in 1580 as an addition to the Villa Barbaro at Maser. It unites two classical forms, a circle and a Greek cross . The facade features

5658-809: The Aqueduct of Segovia , the Pont du Gard , and the eleven aqueducts of Rome . The same concepts produced numerous bridges, some of which are still in daily use, for example, the Puente Romano at Mérida in Spain, and the Pont Julien and the bridge at Vaison-la-Romaine , both in Provence, France. The dome permitted the construction of vaulted ceilings without crossbeams and made possible large covered public spaces such as public baths and basilicas , such as Hadrian's Pantheon ,

Palazzo Porto, Vicenza - Misplaced Pages Continue

5796-516: The Baths of Diocletian and the Baths of Caracalla , all in Rome. The Romans first adopted the arch from the Etruscans and implemented it in their own building. The use of arches that spring directly from the tops of columns was a Roman development, seen from the 1st century AD, that was very widely adopted in medieval Western, Byzantine and Islamic architecture . The Romans were the first builders in

5934-699: The Marble Bridge , was made for Empress Catherine the Great of Russia for her gardens at Tsarskoe Selo near Saint Petersburg , Russia. Other English architects, including Elizabeth Wilbraham , and Christopher Wren also embraced the Palladian style. Another English admirer was the architect, Richard Boyle , 4th Earl of Cork , also known as Lord Burlington , who, with William Kent , designed Chiswick House . The Italian-born Giacomo Leoni also constructed Palladian houses in England. The influence of Palladio also reached

6072-410: The Pantheon in its current form and leaving his mark on the landscape of northern Britain with Hadrian's Wall . While borrowing much from the preceding Etruscan architecture, such as the use of hydraulics and the construction of arches, Roman prestige architecture remained firmly under the spell of ancient Greek architecture and the classical orders . This came initially from Magna Graecia ,

6210-547: The Roman Republic and to an even greater extent under the Empire , when the great majority of surviving buildings were constructed. It used new materials, particularly Roman concrete , and newer technologies such as the arch and the dome to make buildings that were typically strong and well engineered. Large numbers remain in some form across the former empire, sometimes complete and still in use today. Roman architecture covers

6348-575: The Venetian Republic . Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture , primarily Vitruvius , is widely considered to be one of the most influential individuals in the history of architecture . While he designed churches and palaces, he was best known for country houses and villas. His teachings, summarized in the architectural treatise, The Four Books of Architecture , gained him wide recognition. The city of Vicenza , with its 23 buildings designed by Palladio, and 24 Palladian villas of

6486-482: The Villa Godi (begun 1537). This design already showed the originality of Palladio's conception. A central block is flanked by two wings; the central block is recessed and the two wings are advanced and more prominent. Inside the central block, the piano nobile or main floor opened onto a loggia with a triple arcade, reached by a central stairway. On the reverse of the building, the rounded gallery projects outward to

6624-517: The bathhouse , and civil engineering such as fortifications and bridges. In Europe the Italian Renaissance saw a conscious revival of correct classical styles, initially purely based on Roman examples. Vitruvius was respectfully reinterpreted by a series of architectural writers, and the Tuscan and Composite orders formalized for the first time, to give five rather than three orders. After

6762-470: The history of architecture to realize the potential of domes for the creation of large and well-defined interior spaces. Domes were introduced in a number of Roman building types such as temples , thermae , palaces , mausolea and later also churches. Half-domes also became a favored architectural element and were adopted as apses in Christian sacred architecture . Monumental domes began to appear in

6900-633: The hypocaust , mica glazing (examples in Ostia Antica ), and piped hot and cold water (examples in Pompeii and Ostia). Despite the technical developments of the Romans, which took their buildings far away from the basic Greek conception where columns were needed to support heavy beams and roofs, they were reluctant to abandon the classical orders in formal public buildings, even though these had become essentially decorative. However, they did not feel entirely restricted by Greek aesthetic concerns and treated

7038-456: The public administration of the city, responsibilities which on more than one occasion were intertwined with the assignments entrusted to Palladio. Relations between the two must very probably have been closer than between patron and architect, considering that thirty years after the project for Iseppo's city palace Palladio designed and began to build a great villa for him at Molina di Malo , subsequently never completed. The two friends died in

SECTION 50

#1732851977229

7176-668: The 15th century or earlier, before Palladio. They had been skillfully brought together by Brunelleschi in the Pazzi Chapel (1420) and the Medici-Riccardi Palace (1444–1449). At the beginning of the High Renaissance in the early 16th century, Bramante used these elements together in the Tempietto in Rome (1502), which combined a dome and a central plan based on a Greek Cross . The architect Baldassare Peruzzi had introduced

7314-580: The 1st century BC in Rome and the provinces around the Mediterranean Sea . Along with vaults , they gradually replaced the traditional post and lintel construction which makes use of the column and architrave . The construction of domes was greatly facilitated by the invention of concrete , a process which has been termed the Roman architectural revolution . Their enormous dimensions remained unsurpassed until

7452-437: The 5th century and of animal killings in the 6th, most amphitheatres fell into disrepair, and their materials were mined or recycled. Some were razed, and others converted into fortifications. A few continued as convenient open meeting places; in some of these, churches were sited. Architecturally, they are typically an example of the Roman use of the classical orders to decorate large concrete walls pierced at intervals, where

7590-503: The Empire made possible very large projects even in locations remote from the main centers, as did the use of slave labor, both skilled and unskilled. Especially under the empire, architecture often served a political function, demonstrating the power of the Roman state in general, and of specific individuals responsible for building. Roman architecture perhaps reached its peak in the reign of Hadrian , whose many achievements include rebuilding

7728-515: The Forum proved to be the most influential for years to come. According to Walter Dennison's The Roman Forum As Cicero Saw It , the author writes that "the diverting of public business to the larger and splendid Imperial fora erected in the vicinity resulted in leaving the general design of the Forum Romanum". Every city had at least one forum of varying size. In addition to its standard function as

7866-479: The Greek colonies in southern Italy, and indirectly from Greek influence on the Etruscans, but after the Roman conquest of Greece directly from the best classical and Hellenistic examples in the Greek world. The influence is evident in many ways; for example, in the introduction and use of the triclinium in Roman villas as a place and manner of dining. Roman builders employed Greeks in many capacities, especially in

8004-631: The King of Prussia Frederick-William III in the style, including the Paretz Palace . Friedrich Gilly's work, the National Theatre in Berlin (1798), built for Frederick the Great was in the style. Most of the buildings were destroyed during World War II . Palladio's work was especially popular in England, where the villa style was adapted for country houses. The first English architect to adapt Palladio's work

8142-520: The Olympic Society of Vicenza, of which Palladio was a member. He was asked to produce a design and model, and construction began in February 1580. The back wall of the stage was in the form of an enormous triumphal arch divided into three levels, and three portals through which actors could appear and disappear. This wall was lavishly decorated with columns and niches filled with statuary. The view through

8280-444: The Roman port town of Ostia , that date to the reign of Trajan , but they seem to have been found mainly in Rome and a few other places. Elsewhere writers report them as something remarkable, but Livy and Vitruvius refer to them in Rome. External walls were in opus reticulatum and interiors in opus incertum , which would then be plastered and sometimes painted. To lighten up the small dark rooms, some tenants able to afford

8418-622: The Romans. The classical orders now became largely decorative rather than structural, except in colonnades . Stylistic developments included the Tuscan and Composite orders ; the first being a shortened, simplified variant on the Doric order and the Composite being a tall order with the floral decoration of the Corinthian and the scrolls of the Ionic . The period from roughly 40 BC to about 230 AD saw most of

SECTION 60

#1732851977229

8556-561: The United States, where it inspired "Neo-Palladianist" buildings such as Mereworth Castle (1724) in Kent and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Virginia (1772). Villa Foscari , also known as "La Malcontenta" for the name of the suburban village near Venice where it is located, faces the Brenta Canal and for this reason, unlike his other villas, it faces south to the canal. The villa is set upon

8694-462: The United States, where the architecture and symbols of the Roman Republic were adapted for the architecture and institutions of the newly independent nation. The Massachusetts governor and architect Thomas Dawes also admired the style and used it when rebuilding Harvard Hall at Harvard University in 1766. Palladio's villas inspired Monticello , the residence of the third U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson , himself an architect. Jefferson organized

8832-590: The Veneto are listed by UNESCO as part of a World Heritage Site named City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto . The churches of Palladio are to be found within the "Venice and its Lagoon" UNESCO World Heritage Site. Palladio was born on 30 November 1508 in Padua and was given the name Andrea di Pietro della Gondola (Venetian: Andrea de Piero de ła Gondoła ). His father, Pietro, called "della Gondola",

8970-426: The ancient Romans was followed by a 600–700 year gap in major brick production. Concrete quickly supplanted brick as the primary building material, and more daring buildings soon followed, with great pillars supporting broad arches and domes rather than dense lines of columns suspending flat architraves . The freedom of concrete also inspired the colonnade screen, a row of purely decorative columns in front of

9108-409: The appearance of a classical Roman structure. His success as an architect is based not only on the beauty of his work, but also on its harmony with the culture of his time. His success and influence came from the integration of extraordinary aesthetic quality with expressive characteristics that resonated with his clients' social aspirations. His buildings served to communicate, visually, their place in

9246-412: The arches gave the illusion of looking down classical streets. The painted ceiling was designed to give the illusion of sitting under an open sky. Behind the hemicycle of seats, Palladio placed a row of Corinthian columns. Palladio died on 19 August 1580, not long after the work was begun. It was completed, with a number of modifications, by Vincenzo Scamozzi and inaugurated in 1584 with a performance of

9384-461: The architecture of the United States. Palladio is known as one of the most influential architects in Western architecture. His architectural works have "been valued for centuries as the quintessence of High Renaissance calm and harmony". The basic elements of Italian Renaissance architecture , including Doric columns, lintels , cornices , loggias , pediments and domes had already been used in

9522-431: The brothers, had both classical and religious motifs. The central hall, The Hall of Olympus on the ground floor, was decorated with Roman gods and goddesses, but when one mounted the stairs, the long upper floor was in the form of a cross and Christian images predominate. The villa also has a series of remarkable frescos and ceiling paintings by Paolo Veronese combining mythical themes with scenes of everyday life. Behind

9660-474: The capital, and other sources around the empire exploited, especially the prestigious Greek marbles like Parian . Travertine limestone was found much closer, around Tivoli , and was used from the end of the Republic; the Colosseum is mainly built of this stone, which has good load-bearing capacity, with a brick core. Other more or less local stones were used around the Empire. The Romans were fond of luxury imported coloured marbles with fancy veining, and

9798-474: The city's ancient monuments and churches. Trissino also gave him the name by which he became known, Palladio, an allusion to the Greek goddess of wisdom Pallas Athene and to a character in a play by Trissino. The word Palladio means Wise one . His earliest work is held to be an addition to Villa Trissino at Cricoli, built before his first trip to Rome. The earliest of his villas is generally considered to be

9936-521: The collections of the Royal Institute of British Architects , most of which originally were owned by Inigo Jones. Jones collected a significant number of these on his Grand Tour of 1613–1614, while some were a gift from Henry Wotton . The Center for Palladian Studies in America, Inc. , a nonprofit membership organization, was founded in 1979 to research and promote understanding of Palladio's influence in

10074-399: The columns have nothing to support. Aesthetically, however, the formula is successful. The Roman basilica was a large public building where business or legal matters could be transacted. They were normally where the magistrates held court, and used for other official ceremonies, having many of the functions of the modern town hall . The first basilicas had no religious function. As early as

10212-523: The construction of imposing infrastructure for public use. Examples include the aqueducts of Rome , the Baths of Diocletian and the Baths of Caracalla , the basilicas and Colosseum . These were reproduced at a smaller scale in the most important towns and cities in the Empire. Some surviving structures are almost complete, such as the town walls of Lugo in Hispania Tarraconensis , now northern Spain. The administrative structure and wealth of

10350-447: The countryside in all directions. The villa is perfectly symmetrical, with four identical facades with porticos around the domed centre. The height of the base is exactly the height of the attic, and the width of each portico is exactly half the length of the facade. The interior frescos were painted by Ludovico Dorigny in 1680–1687, and were not part of Palladio's plan. The building was especially influential, particularly in England and

10488-654: The courtyard. In I quattro libri dell'architettura (1570) the two blocks are interconnected by a majestic courtyard with enormous Composite columns: this is quite clearly a re-elaboration of the original idea in the interests of publication. Compared with the Palazzo Civena , only built a few years earlier, the Palazzo Porto fully illustrates the extent of Palladio's evolution after the journey to Rome in 1541 and his acquaintance with both antique and contemporary Roman architecture. The Bramantean model of Palazzo Caprini

10626-485: The craft to the local populations. The Roman legions , which operated their own kilns , introduced bricks to many parts of the Empire; bricks are often stamped with the mark of the legion that supervised their production. The use of bricks in southern and western Germany, for example, can be traced to traditions already described by the Roman architect Vitruvius . In the British Isles , the introduction of Roman brick by

10764-537: The dome itself, making it appear that the dome is suspended in the air. This idea would be adopted frequently in later Baroque churches . He achieves a perfect balance between the circle and the cross, and the horizontal and vertical elements, both on the facade and in the interior. The final work of Palladio was the Teatro Olimpico in the Piazza Matteotti in Vicenza , built for the theatrical productions of

10902-627: The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Palladio's style inspired several works by Claude Nicolas Ledoux in France, including the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans , begun in 1775. In Germany, Johann von Goethe in his Italian Journey described Palladio as a genius, declaring that his unfinished Convent of Santa Maria della Carità was the most perfect existing work of architecture. The German architects David Gilly and his son Friedrich Gilly were also admirers of Palladio, and constructed palaces for

11040-472: The end of the 2nd century BC, with the first known public horreum being constructed by the ill-fated tribune Gaius Gracchus in 123 BC. The word came to be applied to any place designated for the preservation of goods; thus, it was often used to refer to cellars ( horrea subterranea ), but it could also be applied to a place where artworks were stored, or even to a library. Some public horrea functioned somewhat like banks, where valuables could be stored, but

11178-531: The excessive decoration and display of wealth that aristocrats' houses contained. Luxury in houses was not common, as the life of the average person did not consist of being in their houses, as they instead would go to public baths, and engage in other communal activities. Many lighthouses were built around the Mediterranean and the coasts of the empire, including the Tower of Hercules at A Coruña in northern Spain,

11316-430: The facade, tending toward Mannerism . His buildings in this period were examples of the transition beginning to what would become Baroque architecture . Palladio's architecture was not dependent on expensive materials, which must have been an advantage to his more financially pressed clients. Many of his buildings are of brick covered with stucco . Stuccoed brickwork was always used in his villa designs in order to give

11454-531: The first Renaissance suburban villas, based on a Roman model and surrounded by gardens. The Farnese Palace in Rome (1530–1580) by Sangallo introduced a new kind of Renaissance palace, with monumental blocks, ornate cornices, lateral wings and multiple stairways. Michelangelo had made a plan for a central dome at Saint Peter's Basilica and added a new loggia to the facade of the Farnese Palace. All of these plans already existed before Palladio; his contribution

11592-706: The flamboyance of Baroque architecture , the Neoclassical architecture of the 18th century revived purer versions of classical style, and for the first time added direct influence from the Greek world. Numerous local classical styles developed, such as Palladian architecture , Georgian architecture and Regency architecture in the English-speaking world, Federal architecture in the United States, and later Stripped Classicism and PWA Moderne . Roman influences may be found around us today, in banks, government buildings, great houses, and even small houses, perhaps in

11730-758: The form of a porch with Doric columns and a pediment or in a fireplace or a mosaic shower floor derived from a Roman original, often from Pompeii or Herculaneum . The mighty pillars, domes and arches of Rome echo in the New World too, where in Washington, D.C. stand the Capitol building , the White House , the Lincoln Memorial , and other government buildings. All across the US the seats of regional government were normally built in

11868-561: The formal title of architect. In 1541, he made a first trip to Rome, accompanied by Trissino, to see the classical monuments first-hand. He took another, longer trip to Rome with Trissino from the autumn of 1545 to the first months of 1546, and then another trip in 1546–1547. He also visited and studied the Roman works in Tivoli , Palestrina and Albano . Trissino exposed Palladio to the history and arts of Rome, which gave him inspiration for his future buildings. In 1554 he would publish guides to

12006-518: The framework was removed, the new wall was very strong, with a rough surface of bricks or stones. This surface could be smoothed and faced with an attractive stucco or thin panels of marble or other coloured stones called a "revetment". Concrete construction proved to be more flexible and less costly than building solid stone buildings. The materials were readily available and not difficult to transport. The wooden frames could be used more than once, allowing builders to work quickly and efficiently. Concrete

12144-680: The garden. Palladio made numerous changes and additions over the years, adding lavish frescoes framed by classical columns in the Hall of the Muses of the Villa Godi in the 1550s. In his early works in Vicenza in the 1540s, he sometimes emulated the work of his predecessor Giulio Romano , but in doing so he added his own ideas and variations. An example was the Palazzo Thiene in Vicenza, which Romano had begun but which, after Romano's death, Palladio completed. It

12282-575: The giant Horrea Galbae in Rome were used not only to store grain but also olive oil , wine, foodstuffs, clothing and even marble . By the end of the Imperial period, the city of Rome had nearly 300 horrea to supply its demands. The biggest were enormous, even by modern standards; the Horrea Galbae contained 140 rooms on the ground floor alone, covering an area of some 225,000 square feet (20,900 square metres). The first horrea were built in Rome towards

12420-504: The grand traditions of Rome, with vast flights of stone steps sweeping up to towering pillared porticoes, with huge domes gilded or decorated inside with the same or similar themes that were popular in Rome. In Britain, a similar enthusiasm has seen the construction of thousands of neoclassical buildings over the last five centuries, both civic and domestic, and many of the grandest country houses and mansions are purely Classical in style, an obvious example being Buckingham Palace . Marble

12558-632: The great boom in construction in the early Empire. The Roman architectural revolution , also known as the "concrete revolution", was the widespread use in Roman architecture of the previously little-used architectural forms of the arch , vault , and dome . For the first time in history, their potential was fully exploited in the construction of a wide range of civil engineering structures, public buildings, and military facilities. These included amphitheatres , aqueducts , baths , bridges , circuses , dams , domes , harbours , temples , and theatres . According to Gottfried Semper , Roman architecture

12696-510: The greatest achievements, before the Crisis of the Third Century and later troubles reduced the wealth and organizing power of the central governments. The Romans produced massive public buildings and works of civil engineering, and were responsible for significant developments in housing and public hygiene, for example their public and private baths and latrines, under-floor heating in the form of

12834-506: The horreum as a structure made of brick, the walls of which were not less than three feet thick; it had no windows or openings for ventilation". Furthermore, the storehouses would also host oil and wine and also use large jars that could serve as cache's for large amounts of products. These storehouses were also used to keep large sums of money and were used much like personal storage units today are. "These horrea were divided and subdivided, so that one could hire only so much space as one wanted,

12972-485: The interior space. The Palazzo del Capitaniato , the offices of the Venetian governor of the region, is a later variation on the urban palace, built in Vicenza facing the Basilica Palladiana, and the finest of his late urban palaces. The four brick half-columns on the facade give a strong element of verticality, carefully balanced by the horizontal balustrades on the piano nobile , and on the projecting cornice at

13110-414: The interiors of the most important buildings were often faced with slabs of these, which have usually now been removed even where the building survives. Imports from Greece for this purpose began in the 2nd century BC. The Romans made fired clay bricks from about the beginning of the Empire, replacing earlier sun-dried mudbrick . Roman brick was almost invariably of a lesser height than modern brick, but

13248-666: The introduction of structural steel frames in the late 19th century (see List of the world's largest domes ). Roman architecture supplied the basic vocabulary of Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque architecture , and spread across Christian Europe well beyond the old frontiers of the empire, to Ireland and Scandinavia for example. In the East, Byzantine architecture developed new styles of churches, but most other buildings remained very close to Late Roman forms. The same can be said in turn of Islamic architecture , where Roman forms long continued, especially in private buildings such as houses and

13386-544: The magistrates sat, often on a slightly raised dais. The central aisle tended to be wide and was higher than the flanking aisles, so that light could penetrate through the clerestory windows. The oldest known basilica, the Basilica Porcia , was built in Rome in 184 BC by Cato the Elder during the time he was censor . Other early examples include the basilica at Pompeii (late 2nd century BC). After Christianity became

13524-430: The main entertainment sites of the time. Circuses were venues for chariot racing , horse races , and performances that commemorated important events of the Empire were performed there. For events that involved re-enactments of naval battles , the circus was flooded with water. The performance space of the Roman circus was normally, despite its name, an oblong rectangle of two linear sections of race track , separated by

13662-524: The middle of the first century BC, but most were built under Imperial rule, from the Augustan period (27 BC–14 AD) onwards. Imperial amphitheatres were built throughout the Roman Empire; the largest could accommodate 40,000–60,000 spectators, and the most elaborate featured multi-storeyed, arcaded façades and were elaborately decorated with marble , stucco and statuary. After the end of gladiatorial games in

13800-525: The most important class of horrea were those where foodstuffs such as grain and olive oil were stored and distributed by the state. The word itself is thought to have linguist roots tied to the word hordeum , which in Latin means barley. In the Johns Hopkins University Press , The Classical Weekly states that " Pliny the Elder does indeed make a distinction between the two words. He describes

13938-414: The most influential figure in the renewal of classical architecture, a reputation which only continued to grow after his death. The type of villa invented by Palladio at the Villa Cornaro (begun 1553), located at Piombino Dese near Padua, was a mixture of villa rustica (country house), designed for country living, and a suburban villa, designed for entertaining and impressing. The distinction between

14076-545: The official religion, the basilica shape was found appropriate for the first large public churches, with the attraction of avoiding reminiscences of the Greco-Roman temple form. The Roman circus was a large open-air venue used for public events in the ancient Roman Empire . The circuses were similar to the ancient Greek hippodromes , although circuses served varying purposes and differed in design and construction. Along with theatres and amphitheatres , circuses were one of

14214-400: The orders with considerable freedom. Innovation started in the 3rd or 2nd century BC with the development of Roman concrete as a readily available adjunct to, or substitute for, stone and brick. More daring buildings soon followed, with great pillars supporting broad arches and domes. The freedom of concrete also inspired the colonnade screen, a row of purely decorative columns in front of

14352-417: The palace attic , the statues of Iseppo and his son Leonida, in antique Roman garb, keep watch over the entrance of visitors to their house. Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( / p ə ˈ l ɑː d i oʊ / pə- LAH -dee-oh ; Italian: [anˈdrɛːa palˈlaːdjo] ; Venetian : Andrea Paładio ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in

14490-467: The palazzo in a World Heritage Site , the " City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto ". It is very probable that Iseppo (Giuseppe) Porto's decision to undertake construction of a great palace in the Contrà (Contrada) dei Porti was taken to emulate the edifice that his brothers-in-law Adriano and Marcantonio Thiene had begun to erect, in 1542, only a stone's throw away. It is also possible that it

14628-475: The period from the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 BC to about the 4th century AD, after which it becomes reclassified as Late Antique or Byzantine architecture . Few substantial examples survive from before about 100 BC, and most of the major survivals are from the later empire, after about 100 AD. Roman architectural style continued to influence building in the former empire for many centuries, and

14766-563: The rising power of science and secular humanists , this architecture found great favor with the Catholic Church as a clear statement of the proper relationship of the earthly and the spiritual worlds. Aside from Palladio's designs, his publications further contributed to Palladianism. During the second half of his life, Palladio published many books on architecture, most famously, I quattro libri dell'architettura ( The Four Books of Architecture , Venice, 1570). Note: The first date given

14904-414: The same year, 1580. The palace was inhabitable from December 1549, though less than half the façade was standing and would only be completed three years later, in 1552. Numerous autograph drawings by Palladio record the complex design process. They show that right from the beginning Palladio planned for two distinct, residential blocks, one to lie along the street and the other contiguous to the back wall of

15042-510: The six columns, supported by pediments, into the walls as part of the façade. This technique had been applied in his villa designs as well. Palladio experimented with the plan of the Palazzo Porto by incorporating it into the Palazzo Thiene . It was an earlier project from 1545 to 1550 and remained uncompleted due to elaborate elevations in his designs. He used Mannerist elements such as stucco surface reliefs and large columns , often extending two stories high. In his urban structures, he developed

15180-452: The social order of their culture. This powerful integration of beauty and the physical representation of social meanings is apparent in three major building types: the urban palazzo, the agricultural villa, and the church. Relative to his trips to Rome, Palladio developed three main palace types by 1556. In 1550, the Palazzo Chiericati was completed. The proportions for the building were based on musical ratios for adjacent rooms. The building

15318-740: The style used in Western Europe beginning about 1000 is called Romanesque architecture to reflect this dependence on basic Roman forms. The Romans only began to achieve significant originality in architecture around the beginning of the Imperial period , after they had combined aspects of their originally Etruscan architecture with others taken from Greece, including most elements of the style we now call classical architecture. They moved from trabeated construction mostly based on columns and lintels to one based on massive walls, punctuated by arches , and later domes , both of which greatly developed under

15456-462: The subsidiary and utilitarian ground level (illustrated in the Palazzo Porto and the Palazzo Valmarana ). The tallness of the portico was achieved by incorporating the owner's sleeping quarters on the third level, within a giant two-story classical colonnade, a motif adapted from Michelangelo 's Capitoline buildings in Rome. The elevated main floor level became known as the piano nobile , and

15594-405: The theological ideas of St. Thomas Aquinas , who postulated the notion of two worlds existing simultaneously: the divine world of faith, and the earthly world of humans. Palladio created an architecture which made a visual statement communicating the idea of two superimposed systems, as illustrated at San Francesco della Vigna . In a time when religious dominance in Western culture was threatened by

15732-510: The time of Augustus , a public basilica for transacting business had been part of any settlement that considered itself a city, used in the same way as the late medieval covered market houses of northern Europe, where the meeting room, for lack of urban space, was set above the arcades. Although their form was variable, basilicas often contained interior colonnades that divided the space, giving aisles or arcaded spaces on one or both sides, with an apse at one end (or less often at each end), where

15870-477: The top. The red brick of the walls and columns and the white stone of the balustrades and bases of the columns give another contrast. The facade was later given stucco sculptural decoration in the Mannerist style, which has considerably deteriorated. The success of the Basilica Palladiana propelled Palladio into the top ranks of the architects of Northern Italy. He had travelled to Rome in 1549, hoping to become

16008-450: The tradition of which still survives in Spain and Portugal. Their typical shape, functions and name distinguish them from Roman theatres , which are more or less semicircular in shape; from the circuses (akin to hippodromes ) whose much longer circuits were designed mainly for horse or chariot racing events; and from the smaller stadia, which were primarily designed for athletics and footraces. The earliest Roman amphitheatres date from

16146-517: The tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles . Very little is known of Palladio's personal life. Documents show that he received a dowry in April 1534 from the family of his wife, Allegradonna, the daughter of a carpenter. They had four sons: Leonida, Marcantonio, Orazio and Silla, and a daughter, Zenobia. Two of the sons, Leonida and Orzzio, died during a short period in 1572, greatly affecting their father. He died on 19 August 1580 at either Vicenza or Maser, and

16284-544: The triumphal arches of Rome, and had been used in the earlier Renaissance by Bramante , but Palladio used them in novel ways, particularly in the facade of the Basilica Palladiana and in the Villa Pojana . They also became a common feature of later Palladian buildings in England and elsewhere. In his later work, particularly the Palazzo Valmarana and the Palazzo del Capitaniato in Vicenza, his style became more ornate and more decorative, with more sculptural decoration on

16422-481: The two parts was clearly expressed in the architecture. The central block is nearly square, with two low wings. The rear facade facing the garden has a spacious loggia, or covered terrace, supported by independent columns, on both the ground level and above on the piano nobile . The front facade facing the road has the same plan but with narrower loggias. The Hall of the Four Columns, the grand salon, could be entered by

16560-452: The villa, Palladio created a remarkable nymphaeum , or Roman fountain, with statues of the gods and goddesses of the major rivers of Italy. The most famous suburban villa constructed by Palladio was the Villa Capra "La Rotonda" , not far from Vicenza, begun in 1566 for Count Paolo Almerico, the canon of Pope Pius IV and Pope Pius V . The site is on a gentle wooded hilltop, with views of

16698-511: The word insula referring to both blocks and smaller divisions. The insula contained cenacula , tabernae , storage rooms under the stairs, and lower floor shops. Another type of housing unit for plebs was a cenaculum , an apartment, divided into three individual rooms: cubiculum , exedra , and medianum . Common Roman apartments were mainly masses of smaller and larger structures, many with narrow balconies that present mysteries as to their use, having no doors to access them, and they lacked

16836-471: The workshop in April 1523 and went to Vicenza, but was forced to return to fulfil his contract. In 1524, when his contract was finished, he moved permanently to Vicenza, where he resided for most of his life. He became an assistant to a prominent stonecutter and stonemason, Giovanni di Giacomo da Porlezza in Pedemuro San Biagio, where he joined the guild of stonemasons and bricklayers. He was employed as

16974-578: Was Inigo Jones , who made a long trip to Vicenza and returned full of Palladian ideas. His first major work in the style was the Queen's House at Greenwich (1616–1635), modelled after Palladio's villas. Wilton House is another adaptation of Palladio's villa plans. It had a particularly famous feature, the Palladio Bridge, designed around 1736. The bridge was extremely popular, and copies were made for other houses, including Stowe House . Another variation,

17112-460: Was "the idea of world domination expressed in stone". A crucial factor in this development, which saw a trend toward monumental architecture , was the invention of Roman concrete ( opus caementicium ), which led to the liberation of shapes from the dictates of the traditional materials of stone and brick. These enabled the building of the many aqueducts throughout the Roman Empire , such as

17250-518: Was Iseppo's very marriage to Livia Thiene, in the first half of the 1540s, which provided the concrete occasion for summoning Andrea Palladio. Allied with the Thiene, the Porto were one of the city's rich and powerful families, and the palaces of the family's various branches were ranked along the Contrada which today still bears their name. Iseppo was an influential personality, with various responsibilities in

17388-532: Was a miller. From an early age, Andrea Palladio was introduced to the work of building. When he was thirteen, his father arranged for him to be an apprentice stonecutter for a period of six years in the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavazza da Sossano, a noted sculptor, whose projects included the altar in the Basilica del Carmine in Padua. Bartolomeo Cavazza is said to have imposed particularly hard working conditions: Palladio fled

17526-508: Was an exaggeration, there is something to be said for the influx of marble use in Roman Forum from 63 BC onwards. During Augustus' reign, the Forum was described to have been "a larger, freer space than was the Forum of Imperial times." The Forum began to take on even more changes upon the arrival of Julius Caesar , who drew out extensive plans for the market hub. While Caesar's death came prematurely, his ideas, as well as Augustus' in regards to

17664-406: Was an important part of the Roman day, where some hours might be spent, at a very low cost subsidized by the government. Wealthier Romans were often accompanied by one or more slaves, who performed any required tasks such as fetching refreshment, guarding valuables, providing towels, and at the end of the session, applying olive oil to their masters' bodies, which was then scraped off with a strigil ,

17802-696: Was buried in the church of Santa Corona in Vicenza. In 1844, a new tomb was built in a chapel dedicated to him in that cemetery. Although all of Palladio's buildings are found in a relatively small corner of Italy, they had an influence far beyond. They particularly inspired neoclassical architects in Britain and in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. While he designed churches and urban palaces, his plans for villas and country houses were particularly admired and copied. His books with their detailed illustrations and plans were especially influential. His first book, L'Antichida di Roma ( Antiquities of Rome )

17940-602: Was centralized by a tripartite division of a series of columns or colonnades . In 1552, the Palazzo Porto located in Vicenza was rebuilt incorporating the Roman Renaissance element for façades. A colonnade of Corinthian columns surrounded a main court. The Palazzo Antonini in Udine, constructed in 1556, had a centralized hall with four columns and service spaces placed relatively toward one side. He used styles of incorporating

18078-405: Was constructed as a summer house with views from all four sides. The plan has centralized circular halls with wings and porticos expanding on all four sides. Palladio began to implement the classical temple front into his design of façades for villas. He felt that to make an entry appear grand, the Roman temple front would be the most suitable style. The Palladian villa configuration often consists of

18216-566: Was easily adapted for a democratic worldview, as may be seen in Thomas Jefferson 's Monticello and his arrangement for the University of Virginia . It also may be seen applied as recently as 1940 in Pope's National Gallery in Washington D.C., where the public entry to the world of high culture occupies the exalted centre position. The rustication of exposed basement walls of Victorian residences

18354-520: Was his first construction of a large townhouse. He used Romano's idea for windows by stone corbeaux , a ladder of stone blocks, but Palladio gave the heavy facade a new lightness and grace. Several other villas of this time are attributed to Palladio, including the Villa Piovene (1539) and Villa Pisani (1542). Of the Villa Pisani, only the central structure of the original plan remains. The loggia

18492-529: Was made in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Shapes included square, rectangular, triangular and round, and the largest bricks found have measured over three feet in length. Ancient Roman bricks had a general size of 1½ Roman feet by 1 Roman foot, but common variations up to 15 inches existed. Other brick sizes in ancient Rome included 24" x 12" x 4", and 15" x 8" x 10". Ancient Roman bricks found in France measured 8" x 8" x 3". The Constantine Basilica in Trier

18630-590: Was only for the well-off in Rome, with most having a layout of the closed unit, consisting of one or two rooms. Between 312 and 315 AD Rome had 1781 domus and 44,850 of insulae . Insulae have been the subject of debate for historians of Roman culture, defining the various meanings of the word. Insula was a word used to describe apartment buildings, or the apartments themselves, meaning apartment, or inhabitable room, demonstrating just how small apartments for plebeians were. Urban divisions were originally street blocks, and later began to divide into smaller divisions,

18768-404: Was published in 1554. He then made architectural drawings to illustrate a book by his patron, Daniele Barbaro , a commentary on Vitruvius . His most famous work was I quattro libri dell'architettura ( The Four Books of Architecture ), published in 1570, which set out rules others could follow. The first book includes studies of decorative styles, classical orders, and materials. He illustrated

18906-527: Was the cloister of the church of Santa Maria della Carità (1560–1561), followed by the refectory and then the interior of the San Giorgio Monastery (1560–1562). His style was rather severe compared with the traditional lavishness of Venetian Renaissance architecture . San Georgio Maggiore was later given a new facade by Vincenzo Scamozzi (1610), which integrated it more closely into the Venetian skyline. The original rigorous, perfectly balanced interior

19044-430: Was to refine, simplify, and use them in innovative ways. The style of Palladio employed a classical repertoire of elements in new ways. He clearly expressed the function of each part of the building by its form, particularly elevating and giving precedence to the piano nobile , the ceremonial floor, of his villas and palaces. As much as possible he simplified the forms, as he did at Villa Capra "La Rotonda", surrounding

#228771