Last updated on 01 June 08
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Villa Capra - Villa Rotunda

Villa Rotunda (Villa Capra), Photo courtesy Evan Chakroff

Gardenvisit Editorial

The most famous of Andrea Palladio’s villas stands on the crest of a small hill. Building began circa 1566 and the design is based on what Plato regarded as the primary geometrical forms: the circle and the square. The plan was illustrated and explained in the Quattro Libri dell'Architettura. There are fine views of the surrounding countryside – and Palladio wished the villa to be in perfect harmony with the landscape. The northwest portico leads onto a straight carriage drive running to the principal gates.

The design of the Villa Rotunda and its landscape setting became a significant influence on the design Chiswick House by Lord Burlington and William Kent. Through them, it was also a key influence on the development of landscape gardens in England.

See comment by Tom Turner in English landscape design since 1650

Address - Villa Almerico-Capra, Via della Rotonda 45, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy