[NOTE: Because of its personal nature, I am shifting to first person, singular during this tour of "Palladio's Villas in the Veneto". Also, the level of architectural geekery may go up a notch. The tour is conducted by ACE Cultural Tours, based in Cambridge, UK; the itinerary is here, though we do sometimes stray from the schedule. Our joining the tour is a logistical experiment, to see if a guided tour suits us and whether this kind of service truly provides special access. I am also including 'footnote' maps – also in the 'Prologue' posts – to add context for the small towns and lesser-known locations.]
I could not be more enthusiastic about this tour to see the villas of the Veneto. This is serious bucket list stuff for me. While I've visited Vicenza before (2017, 2018, 2023), I have never managed to arrange a road trip to Maser or the Brenta to see some of Palladio's 'hard to reach' villas. I am disappointed that the Villa Emo (1555-61) is currently closed to visitors (recently sold; will reopen at the end of October), and not on the itinerary. The Villa Emo is known as one of the most fulfilled executions and one the 'cleanest' examples as far as the country villa designs.
But my real objective is the Villa Barbaro (Day 3), and to a similar degree, the Villa Foscari ('Malcontenta', Ext Day 3). Today is 'Day 2', the first full day of the tour. 'Day 1' was spent basically getting checked in to the hotel and having dinner, as most of the group arrived from London (not Lisbon). Day 2's itinerary includes several of Palladio's 'earlier' villas to the south of the city of Vicenza (pop 111,980 in 2017).
Villa Trissino in Meledo di Sarego
The Villa Trissino (c 1553-67) is our first stop. This is a Villa I know as only a tiny fragment of the original design. It includes a torre colombaia (dovecote tower) and part of the barchessa (farm building wing). But when the coach arrives, I notice a kind of 'vertically stretched' neoclassical church, then a stocky, medieval-looking block. The Tour Manager rings at the gate, and an older couple emerges along with a younger lady (translator). The couple are descendants of the Trissinos and smile eagerly as we gather.
I walk along the path, a grassy drive through the trees, and spy a classical column at the far end. I cannot tell if it is Tuscan or Doric as the shed does not have a dressed entablature. Then I turn to see a seven-bay barchessa on the other side of the rose-studded garden. There are two barchesse. The first fragment on my left (east) includes four bays and the colombaia.
The older gentleman explains that the longer western fragment was recently damaged in a storm, so we cannot visit it today. A large hole is visible in the roof tiles. We enter the bright green, formal garden and the gentleman gives us a history of the family and the Villa.
The important connection is Gian Giorgio Trissino, a Renaissance academic and Palladio's mentor. He sponsored the young architect's trip to Rome in about 1541. This Villa was designed after Palladio's return from Rome, for brothers Ludovico and Francesco Trissino (though I could not follow the exact relationship to Gian Giorgio).
As I approach the eastern barchessa, I note that the shed is one floor with an attic; the torre is two floors with an attic and a basement. The torre is pierced by a series of tiny square openings, larger windows facing south, and a series of 'offset' carved stone grilles in the center marking the stairs.
The columns are stone, not brick and stucco. The older fellow tells us that Palladio (originally a scalpellino – stonecutter) carved the elements himself and pointed to a mason's mark. I take a picture of the area he indicates but can find no obvious mark.
The portico (porch) is quite tall and furnished with worn pieces in the corner, and some newer, metal tables and chairs. It is set up as an event space and bed-and-breakfast. There is a short stoop with a few stairs at the doorway.
We enter a narrow reception space with a new metal and wood staircase leading up to the attics. Through an internal door and we are greeted by the skull and horns of a large buck deer over the fireplace. The rooms along the barchessa exhibit several drawings of the finsihed project, and I am surprised to see a 'Rotonda-like' domed Villa at the center of an elaborate complex: the lower L-shaped barchesse (these fragments), two quarter-circle arms on an upper half-level, and central-plan Villa up a further half-level.
Given the scale of buildings, the current garden seems far too small. I find this web site which seems to confirm that the garden is about half the intended design. Exactly why the barchesse are placed this close or what other intention Palladio may have had for the site is very hard to say. I can only image a smaller, simpler project here in its stead.
In the next room, there is an astonishing, color model of the project. The model explains so much, and I can see that the lower barchesse are Tuscan, the upper barchesse are Doric, and the portici of the Villa are Corinthian. Unlike Rotonda, the east and west portici are set into the block, while the south portico engages the quarter-circle barchesse.
Up a few more steps, and the 'missing' Ionic order appears in the pink-marble fireplace surround inside the east colombaia. Again, the story goes that this was carved by Palladio himself. The pulvino frieze is famously favored by Palladio, but the embellished, squarish column shaft seems out of place (perhaps that is a separate piece?).
The room is further decorated with lacey grotesques in the frieze band and ceiling (attr Eliodoro Forbicini, c1553-57). Four marker stones are in the floor under glass, one dated 1579. In the center of the floor is a twisted stone grill for drainage and fresh air.
In the corner is I Quattro Libri open to the correct page. Someone tells me this is an original first edition, but the guests are happily turning the pages. It makes the museum-staffer part of me shiver.
Just behind this room, these is a small office with another decorated ceiling. The stairs and the stone grilles are also here.
The area is arranged for drinks or dining, with tables and chairs. The space under the torre is marked by the stone grill.
While obviously a more complete project than the Villa Trissino, the Villa Pisani still feels like a fraction of Palladio's full expression. His drawings clearly show a connected set of buildings properly organized around rectangular yard. Though this design is uncomplicated, the vision is still incomplete, and some mental assembly is required.
As the bus pulls away, we pass the barchessa on the east, but I am too slow with my iPhone. Looking down I realize the outer wall is right up against the Fiumecello Brendola (image from wikimedia below).
The bus takes us to the town of Lonigo for a coffee and 'loo' break.
The bus drops us baby the Duomo di Lonigo. The group passes through an arcade across the street and into the Piazza Garibaldi, where we scatter into the cafes and market stalls.
Knowing that our first stop was essentially a ruin, I had not expected much, but I am admonished. The project, the storytelling, the history, and the visuals all describe the ambition of the clients and the architect in a way that is far beyond the existing structures. On to the next.
Villa Pisani at Bagnolo
The Villa Pisani (1542-45) in Bagnolo is a tiny thing in my memories from art history class, just a rusticated arched facade and two modest towers.
The bus backs into a narrow lane, and the caretaker greets us at a tall iron gate. The building is enormous, but this is the barchessa, not the Villa. This also operates as a hotel and event space, plus there is a Michelin-recommended osteria.
On the other side of the barchessa (there is only one), and to the left (east) is the Villa. The rear facade faces a long, broad lawn ringed with trees. Hints of an older, arcaded barchessa built under and into the large structure are visible through the shade, but we are not here for the barchessa.
This 'garden' facade is reminiscent of Malcontenta, with the tripartite finestra termale (semi-circular window) echoed in the lower windows. But here, the central panel is the door, and it slips down to meet the wide stairs. The surface is unbroken, and the trim is simple: rusticated blocks at the ground level support a water table course that aligns to the stair landing, a belt course joins the windowsills at the piano nobile, and pairs of square 'punched' windows on either side of the termale at the attic level. Also, on the corners there is rusticated quoining below the water table. A shallow cornice with dentils completes the facade.
Walking around to the front (east), the landscape is formed into a W-shaped berm, both in plan and section, such that the portico, with the help of a few semi-circular steps, rests several feet higher than the rest of the house. Of course, the most striking feature is the rusticated Doric arcade, carved into the block of the Villa between the torri. It feels squat and heavy, as if the smooth white walls grew around a Roman temple. And thus, the scale of east facade is remarkably intimate compared to the west.
Behind me, an overgrown iron gate separates the property from the Fiume Guà.
The sharp pediment hides an upper parapet, as the space behind the arches is vaulted to an unexpected height. Behind the portico, wonderfully 'folded' corner pilasters transition into semi-circular exedrae with doors into the towers.
The portego (central hall) has a Latin cross plan. We enter at the shorter 'head' end, facing the west termale on the longer 'foot' end. On our left and right are two additional termali connecting the upper internal spaces. Turning around, I see yet another 'false' termale painted above the main entrance. In fact, Palladio's I Quattro Libri drawing of this Villa shows a termale cut through to the front arcade.
The barrel and cross vaults are richly decorated with horse and bird motifs (attr Francesco Torbido), that carry into the side rooms. The clients, Marco and Daniele Pisani, must have been animal lovers, or at least loved showing off their expensive tastes.
The rooms in the northwest corner serve as a kitchen and dining room and feel much more like spaces in a livable country home.
Villa Pisani in Montagnana
We stop for lunch in the hill town of Montagnana, which includes another Villa Pisani (1553-55). We approach from the north along the Fiumicello Bac. This side is shaded and looks worn and grey with moss and mold, with its Ionic loggia over Doric portico. The south side looks livelier, though the Ionic and Doris center elements are applied as half-round columns.
The Doric entablature wraps around the entire periphery, with its rhythmic arrangement of details: triglifo, bucranio, and rondello. I especially appreciate that Palladio always seem to work the pattern so that a rondello turns the corner – just like at the Basilica.
The shutters across the entire building are closed, but our Director assures us that the building is livable and often inhabited.
Across the street is the stunning Castello di San Zeno (13th century), the heroic entrance to Montagnana and our gateway to lunch.
After a brief walk, we enter the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. The Duomo di Montagnana (15th century) is just across the square.
In the shade of the Piazza, I enjoy a sandwich with schiacciata bread and local speck – the perfect Italian road meal.
Villa Pojana at Pojana Maggiore
Almost contemporary in character, the Villa Pojana (1548-49) is Palladio's experiment with geometric minimalism. Its clarity defies its scale. The west portico is a serilana abstracted to three openings, with a playful semi-circle of five hollow tondi over the central arch.
Access to the Villa is through a tall brick arch (not pictured) and eastward across a small yard with a central path. To the south, the yard continues open and flat. To the north, an additional block and barchessa attaches to the Villa (this block contains the shop).
Looking through the portego, I notice that the tondi repeat at the back as five openings, providing a backlight for Bonifacio Pojana's bust above the entrance (top image). The portico is a north-south barrel-vault with a cross vault at the center. There is a bright ceiling fresco (attr Giovanni Battista Zelotti), in remarkably good condition given its outdoor exposure.
The edges of the vaults are lined with roses, and the contrasting triangular panels contain figures in grisaille. In each lunetta, a woman appears to be attacking the men – to the south with a switch and a mirror (?), and to the north with a big stick. The woman in the center octagonal panel also appears to be spilling her jewels and coins. I wonder what the patron thinks of all this.
The portego is another barrel-vaulted room, oriented east-west. The five tondi over the garden entrance are echoed by another set, in relief and painted black. Above, people ride the clouds in the three simple faux 'openings' to the sky: rectangle, eclipse, rectangle. The fellow in the very middle is the exception; he is riding a bird.
Two parallel rooms lie on either side of side of the portego, each with its own decorative program. One room is decorated with grotesques as at the Villa Trissino (attr Bernardino India). The other is known as the Salone dell'Imperatore and contains frescoes depicting the gods of Olympus (attr Anselmo Canero). The featured image shows the pater familias extinguishing the fires of war on the altar of peace, a compelling sentiment given the events of those days, or any day.
In the corner is a staircase with an intriguing profile cut into the spine. We are given the opportunity, just a few at a time, go up and see the attics.
The attics are incredibly well kept, and the timber trusses are in a shockingly good state of conservation. Only part of the loft floor is intact toward the back (east). The exposed masonry work is a fascinating: the lateral beams break at the ridge of the barrel-vault and are 'zippered' together with lines of large, rough bricks which cross the top pf the vault. The tensile forces are held by iron ties that cross laterally and diagonally over the masonry.
For me, seeing the attics provides a similar lesson to the basement at the Villa Trissino. Behind the frescos, the plaster, and the polished floors, Palladio's villas appear to be well designed, and very well built. I take great comfort in the care lavished on these amazing houses, knowing their value to architects and fans of architecture.
Villa Saraceno in Agugliaro
The bus stops in Noventa Vicentina so we may examine the Villa Barbarigo-Rezzonico (c1588), an imposing, double-decker villa, not by Palladio. Whoever designed this one, in 'Spinal Tap' fashion, turned the 'Palladio knob' up beyond just four books. Across the street the Villa's barchesse bookend a public square, the Piazza IV Novembre. The Villa is now the Comune (town hall) and somehow looks better when I'm told it's a civic building.
The Duomo dei Santi Vito, Modesto e Crescenzia (17th century) is next door, One of the Duomo's side chapels holds Santi Rocco e Sebastiano (Giambattista Tiepolo, 1758). Our Director takes us in for a look.
The bus makes one last stop, after dealing with a large tractor on a one-lane road, to the Villa Saraceno (1548-55). Again, this is being used as a hotel, but this time we do not have an invitation. However, we may stand at the gate and take pictures.
The south facade looks a bit like a cross between the blocky composition of Villa Pojana and the three-arch portico of the Villa Pisani, but without the rustication. The design is elemental and tied together under a crisp, unbroken pediment. It is a refreshing 'exhale' after the Villa Barbarigo-Rezzonico. And the late afternoon light rakes over the shallow folds and drenches the Villa in honey tones.
A single barchessa is constructed at the eastern side. Again, nothing ever seems done. However, the barchessa is five bays to the corner, just as shown in I Quattro Libri. But the corner is not turned, and the line is capped with a simple three-story block.
The day is both fulfilling and frustrating. Each villa in today's itinerary holds a special feature or moment, but none tells a whole story. Taken together, and with the narration of our Director, I can understand something deeper and essential about Palladian designs: the scale, the balance, the clarity. But nothing has crystalized.
Perhaps it's the nature of a creative genius like Palladio: many things get started, but nothing ever gets finished.
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