A magnificent work of architecture, this was Andrea Palladio’s first great triumph, and the achievement of a dream: the creation of a city palazzo set within the heart of the countryside.
It was in the year 1552 that the nobleman Giorgio Cornaro decided to commission the architect to work on a new country residence for his villa farming estate. Palladio opted for a single body structure with a square floor plan and two facades, the main facade being in the form of a projecting pronaos with a double order of columns: the walls are in rusticated stone, and the double colonnade is surmounted by a tympanum – all creating a harmonious whole that reveals the architect’s skilful handling of space. Within the villa are a series of six statues that depict illustrious members of the Cornaro family; they are the work of Camillo Mariani (1589-90). There is also a magnificent series of stuccowork panels and details by Borolo Cabianca (1716) which frame a total of 104 frescoes on biblical themes, all painted by Mattia Bertoloni (1716-1718).
This highly original cycle of works, whose iconography reveals clear Masonic influences, is characterised by both a Late Mannerist handling of form and a grace that clearly heralds the advent of Rococo.
The villa is not regularly open to the public. However, visits may be arranged for groups or during special opening events organised by the Palladio Association