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| Map of the villa and surroundings |
Lugo di Vicenza 200 m/656 feet above sea level; train station at Thiene on the Vicenza-Schio line, about 7 km/4.5 miles to the southwest. On bicycle, the villa can be reached from the Vicenza-Thiene bike route.
This villa is important in the history of architecture by being the earliest project of the “Villa’s [sic] belonging to some gentlemen of the Terra Firma” designed by the young Andrea Palladio; “…placed upon a hill that has a beautiful prospect, and near a river that serves for a fish-pond” (from the Second Book of Architecture) it was constructed between 1537 and 1542 on behalf of the Vicentine nobleman Girolamo de’ Godi.
The villa has a scheme that is completely atypical of the form that Palladio was to adopt afterwards; at the center of the facade instead of the usual porch there is a recessed terrace with a monumental staircase, a motif that Palladio was not to use again. Inside there are frescoes by Gualtiero Padovano, Battista Del Moro, and Battista Zelotti.
Noteworthy also is the park surrounding the villa, its final design was laid out during the nineteenth century.
The villa changed ownership several times, passing first to the Valmarana family and then during the twentieth century to the Malinverni family who are still its owners; both the gardens and the interior of the villa can be visited for a fee. (See the official website of the villa)
Latest visit: 2013-06-23
