Andrea Palladio as a Design Inspiration

The work of Andrea Palladio is ideal if you want to trace the continuity and evolution of Classical Architecture from ancient times to the present. The Renaissance was a period when the heritage of Classical Greek and Roman times was being rediscovered and resurrected by leading writers, artists, and Architects. Andrea Palladio was part of this movement, and he made the language of Classicism his own. He mastered the vocabulary of the ancient forms, recombining them to embody the culture of his time. Working in the Veneto in the mid-1500's he created an Architecture that expressed the power and glory of the Venetian City-State and the wealth that was at the foundation of its financial and military dominance. The use of Classical Orders, powerful symmetries, grand axes, and rigorous controlling geometries were all carried to new heights during this period.

In looking back at the Villas from this period, all one can say is,
"Those Venetians sure knew how to live!"

Five Villas
San Giorgio Maggiore
Wikimedia image index
Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura del Andrea Palladio
The Center for Palladian Studies in America
The Secrets of Palladio's Villas