Overview
An entirely frescoed Palladian villa
Ten kilometres from Vicenza stands Villa Caldogno, a Renaissance residence built in the mid-16th century at the order of Count Losco Caldogno and attributed to architect Andrea Palladio. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, the building has three large arches on the main façade that open onto the loggia of the entrance hall, outlined by a rusticated ashlar brick cornice. An inscription attests to the completion of the project in 1570 by Angelo Caldogno, the original client’s son.
Inside, the atrium is decorated with landscapes, country festivals and scenes of deities. The large central hall is dominated by the illusory architecture of a portico supported by gigantic marble telamons. The two largest rooms on the left, featuring a fireplace, are frescoed by Giovanni Antonio Fasolo and Giovanni Battista Zelotti, followed by Giulio Carpioni’s decorations in a room on the west side.
During the restoration of the park of the villa, a 16th-century fishpond adjacent to the building was discovered.
