Italian Villas

Italy has a wealth of superb well-known villas for tourists to visit when on holiday. These range throughout the length and breadth of the mainland of Italy as well as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. There are many influences on the design of these buildings due to the colourful history and talent of the many architects and artisans of the various periods of history. In addition, many of the villas have accurate, painstaking manicured grounds and gardens to visit with an absolute abundance of wonderfully designed, shaped and coloured trees, shrubs and flowers.

Below we have decided to concentrate on the Italian Villas of one of the more famous Renaissance architects Andrea Palladio and the villas known as Palladio's Villas. These are a group of five villas known as Villa Barbaro, Villa Emo, Villa Cornaro, La Rotonda and La Malcontenta. These Veneto villas are all located in an area roughly west to north west of Venice.

Villa Barbaro is in the Treviso district, near Asolo, about 60 km north west of Venice. The property was built for Daniele Barbaro and Ambassador of the Venetian Republic between 1549 and 1558. The building is distinctive due to its wide, low frontal elevation dominated by arches. There are three main raise sections on the centre and to each side. The interior has wonderful frescoes completed mainly between 1560 an 1562 by Paolo Veronese. The current restoration was carried out by Giuseppe Vopli di Misurata.

Villa Emo is not unlike Villa Barbaro in appearance and is located in Fanzolo di Vedelago, about 45 km from Venice. The property was constructed between 1559 and 1565. The central section has four main columns and looks like the entrance to a Greek Temple. The wings are low and dominated by arches. This Italian villa was sold in 2004 and had previously been the only Palladio villa that had descended down the male geneology lines.

Villa Cornaro is unlike the previous two willas because it is a higher and narrower construction (more square), dominated by a two tier colonnaded front with each tier having six columns; not unlike a double storey Greek Temple! There are other features that appear Roma such as the terracotta tiled roof, or even chateau-like with the shuttered windows. This Veneto Villa is located in the village of Piombino Dese around 30 km from Venice. The building was erected between 1552 and 1553 and a major feature is the interior spaces all built around an interior hall and with columns, unique statues and a very grand appearance.

La Rotonda is very well known and looks magnificent perched atop a hill with its colonnaded entrances facing four different directions at right-angles to each other. This Italian villa is located close to Vicenza. The central dome of the building was inspired by the Pantheon on Rome. The construction was commissioned in 1566 by Paolo Almerico and it was Palladio's protege Vincenzo Scamozzi who oversaw completion following Palladio's death in 1580.

La Malcontenta looks like a Greek temple from the front but with a very high square building attached to the back. The building is located on the banks of the Brenta river close to Venice. The property was commissioned in the late 1550's by the Foscari brothers.

Just to mention one other lovely villa which is part of the Authentic Italy offering: Villa Passalacqua on the shore of Lake Como is absolutely wonderful with exquisite gardens carefully manicured. It was built during the American and French Revolutions with the objective of creating a villa that was simple on the outside but elaborate in design with wonderful frescoes on the inside. Count Passalacqua retained one of Italys foremost architects Felice Soave and Interior designer Giacondo Albertolli to create this Italian villa. The result is a neo-classical design with columns, pillars, stucco work and frescoed ceilings. Why not rent this wonderful Italian Villa from Authentic Italy: Villa Passalacqua