Villas of Vicenza

November 4, 2018 4:33 PM

“If you wish to understand a person’s character, you should observe and examine his house with attention.”
posted by bq (8 comments total)

We visited the Villa la Rotonda in 2015. The gardens are lovely, as are the ground floor rooms. What's odd to the modern eye are the staircases, which are almost nautical in the tight spaces they use.

At least as interesting by Palladio in Vincenza is the Teatro Olimpico. As I recall, it was the first theater built since Roman times, and the stage had forced perspective, all of a Renaissance townscape. This is where Shakespeare's Italian-set plays should be performed.
posted by aurelian at 6:03 PM on November 4, 2018 [3 favorites]

Wow, what a lovely website. It feels so "old web" - "Here's a whole lot of well-organized information about a neat thing in the world! Hosted by us, some people who like that neat thing!" So refreshing to come across a site like this in 2018.
posted by potrzebie at 7:46 PM on November 4, 2018 [15 favorites]

So refreshing to come across a site like this in 2018.

A good reminder that, if you aren't worried about running ads or impressing people with your design prowess, the world wide web is still perfectly happy to support your effort building simple, informative pages about things you are interested in. If you are inclined, all you need is a little html, a place to host it (your isp may have a place for you) and the desire to make it so.
posted by davejay at 7:58 PM on November 4, 2018 [15 favorites]

I'm afraid that the architectural and ornamental choices of architects, sculptors and fresco painters doesn't say a whole lot about my character. I guess I was looking for something less palace-centric.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 2:24 AM on November 5, 2018

There's more where that came from, e.g., Villa Emo, which featured in Ripley's Game. Not sure about the extended wings, but, you know - I could live with them. But it's lacking a library, which is kind of a problem, that being part of my character and all.
posted by BWA at 7:21 AM on November 5, 2018

Is the characteristic I'm suppose to gleam from this house "has too much money?"
posted by GoblinHoney at 7:39 AM on November 5, 2018

I like this book about buying and living in a Palladian villa. The villa they bought was put up for sale last year - I wonder if it has new owners yet.
posted by PussKillian at 1:03 PM on November 5, 2018

So nice. I once stayed in Saraceno, and did a Palladio trip with that as the point of departure. It was unforgettable.
I learnt that the houses are built for natural climate regulation, and very efficient at it. Also, I really like flat open landscapes.
posted by mumimor at 4:30 PM on November 5, 2018