Palladian Villas of The Veneto

Palladian Villas Of The Veneto

The Palladian villas of Veneto are villas designed by architect Andrea Palladio, all of whose buildings were erected in Veneto, the mainland region then under the political control of the Venetian Republic. Most villas are protected by UNESCO as part of a World Heritage Site named City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.

The term villa was used to describe a country house. Often rich families in Veneto also had a house in town called palazzo. In most cases the owners named their palazzi and villas with the family surname, hence there is both a Palazzo Chiericati in Vicenza and a Villa Chiericati in the countryside, similarly there is a Ca' Foscari in Venice and a Villa Foscari in the countryside. Somewhat confusingly there are multiple Villas Pisani, including two by Palladio.

UNESCO inscribed the site on the World Heritage List in 1994. At first the site was called "Vicenza, City of Palladio" and only buildings in the immediate area of Vicenza were included. Various types of buildings were represented in the original site, which included the Teatro Olimpico, some palazzi and a few villas. However, most of Palladio's surviving villas laid outside the site. That is why in 1996 the site was expanded, hence "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto". Its present name reflects the fact that it includes villas designed by Palladio throughout Veneto.