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La Rotonda is a Palladian villa just outside the historic city center of Vicenza, Italy. It’s one of Andrea Palladio’s (1508-1580) many works in the city and included in the UNESCO listing for Palladian Villas of the Veneto. The official name is Villa Almerico Capra.

 

History

La Rotonda was built by architect Andrea Palladio for retired bishop Paolo Almerico with construction starting around 1570. Palladio died in 1580 before its completion and Vincenzo Scamozzi (1548-1616) took over construction. In 1591, it was sold to the Capra family who oversaw the villa’s completion. The Valmarana family bought it in 1901 and still own the property. It opened to the public in 1986.

 

Visiting

It’s possible to visit the villa and gardens from Friday through Sunday. Entrance to the grounds is €10 and guided tours are €15 (as of August 2024). Guided tours in English are on select dates only. Check the official website for more info.

To get there, you can take a leisurely walk or hop on city bus #8 from outside the train station. Get off at the stop next to the first gas station. The road up to the villa is just a few steps further down the road.

 

Getting There

After a short walk, we came to the gates of the villa. Since it was Wednesday, we were hoping to visit the interior of La Rotonda, but strangely there were no interior visits that day. We ended up paying to enter the gardens only.

Gates to the complex at La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
Gates to the complex

The path to the villa sits between a wall and a building with statues on top. At the end of the path to the right is a wall with a statue.

Path to the building at La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
Path to the building
Path to the building at La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
Path to the building
Statue along the path at La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
Statue along the path
Statue at La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
Statue

 

The Building

La Rotonda itself is completely symmetrical in design and was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. The floor plan is a square intersecting with a cross, and the building is rotated at a 45º from the cardinal points of the compass to ensure each room gets daylight.

Approaching La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
Approaching La Rotonda
La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
La Rotonda
La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
La Rotonda

It has four façades with porticos. Each of the four porticos has six Ionic columns and statues of ancient gods. Each portico has a corridor that leads to a hall underneath a dome.

Portico at La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
Portico
Portico at La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
Portico

La Rotonda was designed to be in perfect harmony with its surroundings, so it was designed to blend in with the landscape. There are panoramic views of the countryside from each portico.

View of the countryside at La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy
View of the countryside

 

Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’

A short walk from La Rotonda is Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’. It was completed in 1670 for Giovanni Maria Bertolo and later sold to the Valmarana family in 1720. Their descendants still own and live in the complex.

Villa Valmarana 'ai Nani' in Vicenza, Italy
Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’

The villa takes its name from the 17 stone dwarves that top the walls surrounding the house. They were probably sculpted by Francesco Uliaco and originally placed in the garden.

Wall lined with dwarves at Villa Valmarana 'ai Nani' in Vicenza, Italy
Wall lined with dwarves
Wall lined with dwarves at Villa Valmarana 'ai Nani' in Vicenza, Italy
Wall lined with dwarves
Statue of a dwarf at Villa Valmarana 'ai Nani' in Vicenza, Italy
Statue of a dwarf
Statue of a dwarf at Villa Valmarana 'ai Nani' in Vicenza, Italy
Statue of a dwarf

The interior of the main residence has frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770) painted in 1757. His son, Giandomenico (1727-1804), painted the interior of the guest house.

Villa Valmarana 'ai Nani' in Vicenza, Italy
Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’
Statues on Villa Valmarana 'ai Nani' in Vicenza, Italy
Statues

Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’ is open to visitors daily. Admission is €12 for adults, €10 for seniors over 75, €7 for visitors aged 12-25, and free for children up to 11 (as of August 2024). Unfortunately, we visited when it was closed out of season, but it’s now open year-round.

 

Conclusion

We were really disappointed the neither villa was open for interior visits and we hope to return one day to see them properly.

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

2 Comments

  1. How do you get there from Rome? I want to go there but it does not seem like there is no direct train from Rome to Vicenza

    • Thanks for asking – since there’s no direct train from Rome you’ll have to change in Verona or Padova.

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