Description of the attraction
La Rotonda, also known as Villa Capra, is a country residence built by the architect Andrea Palladio for the Vatican official Paolo Almerico. It stands on a hilltop above Vicenza and is one of the city's tourist attractions. In 1591, the Capra brothers became the owners of the villa, hence its modern name. And in 1994, along with other creations by Andrea Palladio in Vicenza, Villa Capra was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In the image and likeness of this villa, numerous buildings were built around the world, including the Monticello estate in the USA, the Merevort castle in England and the St. Sophia Cathedral in Tsarskoye Selo.
La Rotonda is notable for being one of the first private houses in history, built in the form of an antique temple. It is also distinguished by its perfect symmetry, which is due to carefully crafted mathematical proportions. A wide alley leads from the front gate to the villa, and the villa itself has four identical facades, decorated with porticoes with Ionic columns. Each of the facades is preceded by a balustrade with statues of ancient gods. The rotunda dome was erected on the villa by the architect Vincenzo Scamozia, who completed it after the death of Palladio. There is an opening at the top, from which light pours into the circular living room in the center. The interior of the villa is decorated with exquisite frescoes by Alessandro and Giovanni Battista Maganza and Anselmo Caner. As conceived by the creators, the interior of La Rotonda was supposed to be no less luxurious than its exterior. In the so-called West and East Salons on the ground floor, you can see allegorical depictions of the life of the first owner of the villa, Paolo Almerico.
Outside porticos offer wonderful views of the surrounding landscape - meadows and forests and Vicenza on the horizon. Palladio conceived his creation in such a way that it was harmoniously inscribed in the landscape, which, in general, was not typical for European architecture of the 16th century. The northwest portico is located on a hill and serves as the terminus of a wide driveway leading from the front gate. As you approach the villa along this alley, you get the feeling that you are approaching a temple - in the background you can see a classic chapel.
