The entrance of the grand Renaissance villa resembles that of a Roman temple. Six tall Ionic columns, a triangular pediment, and elongated portico window openings accentuate the vertical thrust of the villa and give the composition a bold presence. (J.H. Smith)
The Villa Almerico Capra Valmarana, also known as “La Rotonda,” on the outskirts of Vicenza, Italy, was designed by the internationally influential Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and completed toward the end of the 16th century.
Most other villas in the region were farming homesteads. La Rotonda, however, was built for Paolo Almerico, a nobleman and retired clergyman, and it offered a spiritual refuge in a rural setting embodying the Renaissance humanist belief that each individual is composed of mind, body, and spirit.
Palladio created an innovative design that favored an imposing hilltop. He employed the simple geometry of a square plan for the main body of the house, to symbolize the physical realm and the human body. He then designed a circle for the central hall, symbolizing the soul and the divine, and completed it with a dome and a cupola above to illuminate the interior and connect the home with the heavens. Surrounding the central hall are four salons serving as the main living areas of the house.
Palladio took the design of a Roman temple consisting of a portico formed by columns and a triangular pediment, and then, in a unique way, placed it on the four sides of the building. Each side offers places to enjoy panoramic views of the countryside. When seen from the surrounding countryside, the villa plays the role of a church or temple centrally positioned in the landscape.
La Rotonda sits in perfect harmony with its surroundings, showing how mind, body, and spirit work as one: Renaissance ideals, a beautiful structure filled with frescoes and sculptures, and openings that allow in light from the heavens.
The structure has four identical façades, one on each side. The stairs rise up to the main floor, or “piano nobile.” Private rooms are located above the main floor and the service rooms are below, with entrances beneath the porticos. (J.H. Smith)
Service corridor leads up to one of the building's four façade. Although separate from the guest entrance by walls, the way is lines with flora and a walkway. (Ivan Vighetto/CC BY-SA 3.0)
The finely carved Ionic stone scrolls have a gentle quality and are emphasized when juxtaposed with the otherwise plain entablature (horizontal band above the columns) and the repetition of corbels (rectangular boxes) above. A classical sculpture stands up top. (J.H. Smith)
Sculptures in the classical style convey a noble presence at the entrances. They provide residents and guests with a sense that the villa is populated with virtuous beings. (J.H. Smith)
The four porticos each offer a place to sit and enjoy unique views of the countryside. The Ionic columns have simple bases and bare plaster-coated shafts, and are topped with Ionic scrolls. (J.H. Smith)
Palladio's restrained use of ornament, employed here with the graceful scrolls, heightens the harmonious effect of the design. The scrolls seem to unfurl from the wall and hold the pediment above. (J.H. Smith)
In designing the villa, Palladio employed simple geometry often used during the Renaissance. In his plan drawing, a square forms the main space, symbolic of the physical realm and the human body, surrounding a circle for the central hall, which symbolizes the soul and the divine. (Public Domain)
The main floor is organized around the central circular hall, the heart of the building. Here, the walls come alive with trompe-l'œil (“fool the eye”) frescoes that reveal virtues to guests and give the illusion of space and divine realms beyond the surfaces of the room. (Hans A. Rosbach/CC BY-SA 3.0)
A balcony on the attic floor is formed by a ring of single balusters. The ornamentation becomes more detailed and expressive as the frescoes continue higher before reaching the cupola, where light gently illuminates the room. (J.H. Smith)
Villa La Rotonda looks out over the landscape from a hill on the outskirts of Vicenza, Italy. Venice, the city where Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio would spend most of his life, is about 40 miles away. (J.H. Smith)
