The Palladian Villa Rotonda: Not Simply a Name

The Villa Rotonda is featured on our Private Vicenza & Villa Rotonda Tour departing from Venice, and on our Private Vicenza & Villa Rotonda Walking Tour.

The Villa Rotonda by Andrea Palladio represents the epitome of Palladio's architecture: "Form formed by the landscape and forming the landscape".

For centuries, the Villa Rotonda by Palladio has aroused the admirations of scholars and laymen, and imitations can be found the world-over. The name it has always be known as "La Rotonda" embodies the villa's essence: it is conceived to be viewed from all sides and even so that one can look out from it to allow the gaze to take in a panorama of 360°.

Like many Palladio buildings, for the Villa Rotonda, Palladio drew inspiration from his studies of the Pantheon in Rome, which in ancient times also was known as "La Rotonda".

Although, "La Rotonda" is known as the Villa Rotonda, in his four books of architecture Andrea Palladio classified this building as a Palazzo because of its close proximity to the city of Vicenza, it's position perched upon a hill and for the fact that this building has no attachment to the land.

In fact, the Villa Rotonda, was not a villa-farm, but was designed to be a pleasure palace where Paolo Almerico, the patron of the Villa Rotonda would entertain his guests.