Organization attributes
Other attributes
Villa Capra "La Rotonda" is a Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza, northern Italy, designed by Andrea Palladio. The correct name is Villa Almerico-Capra. It is also known as La Rotonda, Villa Rotunda, Villa La Rotonda, and Villa Almerico. The name "Capra" derives from the Capra brothers, who completed the building after it was ceded to them in 1591. Like other works by Palladio in Vicenza and the surrounding area, the building is conserved as part of the World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto".
The choice of the location is fundamental: just about a quarter of a mile from the city walls, the hill in which la rotonda stands on was guaranteed to offer the clean air all members of the Veneto nobility desired at the time.
The square plan of the villa was rotated 45 degrees, its four corners facing the four cardinal points to mitigate sun exposure and winds.
The humanistic recovery of antiquity is one of the pillars of the villa:
the idea of a circular building with a dome comes from the Pantheon of Rome, the pronaos supporting the pillars are inspired by ancient temples, while the concept of a suburban Villa that also serves as an agricultural business re elaborate Pliny the Younger’s scripts. Because, contrary to what it seems, the Rotonda was also the base of agricultural business: the owner, Paolo Almerico, who thanks to the altitude had complete visual control of his land. However, unlike other Veneto villas, the rustic annexes were far from the main building.
The villa appeared isolated without any walls or hedges to protect it, which is what makes the Rotonda so unique. The Villa is an icon of perfection and harmony because of the visual relationship Palladio was able to create between the villa and the landscape.