| Whs: | City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto |
| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Location: | Veneto, Italy |
| Criteria: | (i), (ii) |
| Id: | 712bis |
| Coordinates: | 45.5492°N 11.5494°W |
| Year: | 1994 |
| Extension: | 1996 |
| Area: | 333.87ha |
City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto is a World Heritage Site in Italy, which protects buildings by the architect Andrea Palladio. UNESCO inscribed the site on the World Heritage List in 1994.[1] At first the site was called "Vicenza, City of Palladio" and only buildings in the immediate area of Vicenza were included.
Various types of buildings were represented in the original site, which included the Basilica Palladiana, Teatro Olimpico and palazzi in the city itself, along with a few villas in the vicinity.[2] However, most of Palladio's surviving villas lay outside the site. In 1996 the site was expanded. Its present name reflects the fact that it includes all the Palladian Villas of the Veneto. City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto also has some examples of ecclesiastical architecture, including the relatively small church at Maser.[3] In total there are 47 Palladian buildings registered in the UNESCO list in the Veneto region.[4]
There is another important group of urban buildings by Palladio in Venice, a city which also has World Heritage Site status. Venice has notable examples of ecclesiastical architecture by Palladio, including the San Giorgio Maggiore (church), Venice.
The World Heritage List have been registered since 1994: the historic center of Vicenza with the 23 Palladian monuments located within the ancient medieval walls of the city.[5]
| Site | Image | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arco delle Scalette | Arch built in 1596, whose design is attributed to Palladio, about 1575. It is located in the south-eastern border of the historic center of the city of Vicenza, and it was the only point of access from the city to the sanctuary of Monte Berico. | ||
| Basilica Palladiana | Centrally located in Vicenza's Piazza dei Signori, of which Palladio himself said that "it might stand comparison with any similar work of antiquity" | ||
| Teatro Olimpico | Designed for the Accademia Olimpica (Olympic Academy) and begun to be built in 1580, when Palladio died. The wooden scenes are by Vincenzo Scamozzi | ||
| Palazzo Chiericati | Home of the city pinacotheca | ||
| Palazzo del Capitaniato | The palazzo is currently used by the town council, inside the Sala Bernarda. | ||
| Palazzo Porto | |||
| Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare | (built by Vincenzo Scamozzi) | ||
| Palazzo Thiene | |||
| Palazzo Valmarana | |||
| Palazzo Barbaran da Porto | Home of the Museo Palladio | ||
| Palazzetto Capra sul Corso | |||
| Palazzo Civena | |||
| Casa Cogollo | “House of Palladio” | ||
| Palazzo da Monte Migliorini | |||
| Palazzo Garzadori | |||
| Palazzo Pojana | |||
| Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello | (incomplete) | ||
| Palazzo Schio | |||
| Loggia Valmarana | |||
| Dome of the cathedral | |||
| Northern portal of the Cathedral | |||
| Portal of Santa Maria in Foro dei Servi | |||
| Santa Maria Nova, Vicenza |
Later in 1996, the site was extended by inserting another 24 Palladian villas distributed in the Veneto region