User:Rwong17/Villa Capra "La Rotonda"


 * Changes/Additions are in bold.

Lead

Villa La Rotonda is a Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza in northern Italy designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. After the death of Palladio in 1580, who had yet to complete La Rotonda, the project was taken over by Italian architect Vincenzo Scamozzi. The villa’s correct name is Villa Almerico Capra Valmarana, but it is also known as "La Rotonda", "Villa Rotonda", "Villa Capra", and "Villa Almerico Capra". The name Capra derives from the Capra brothers, who completed the building after it was ceded to them in 1592. Along with other works by Palladio, the building is conserved as part of the World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto".

Design

The design is for a completely symmetrical building having a square plan with four facades, each of which has a projecting portico. The whole is contained within an imaginary circle which touches each corner of the building and centres of the porticos. (illustration, left). La Rotonda's entrance opens with a sala, and branching from it four wings constructed as rows of rooms. The name La Rotonda refers to the central circular hall with its dome. To describe the villa, as a whole, as a rotunda is technically incorrect, as the building is not circular but rather the intersection of a square with a cross. Each portico has steps leading up to it, and opens via a small cabinet or corridor to the circular domed central hall. This and all other rooms were proportioned with mathematical precision according to Palladio's own rules of architecture which he published in I quattro libri dell'architettura. 'However, Quattro libri dell'architettura'' had been published in 1570, leading some to theorize whether Palladio's design of La Rotonda had inspired his writings and drawings in the first edition of his books. Because of this, multiple scholars and architects believe that this design was the epitome of Palladio's ideals set forth in I quattro libri dell'architettura. However, this cannot be confirmed, and the question of whether Palladio's rules had been formed from his work or if his theories had inspired his designs remains unanswered.''' Works spaces for the villa's servants are hidden in a low level underneath the first floor, which is accessed via staircases hidden inside the walls of the central hall.

'''The floor plan incorporates multiple configurations of squares, each of different sizes and some of differing rotations. Throughout the design, several squares can be seen that form the whole structure. Additionally, as seen in Book I and Book II of the Quattro libri dell'architettura, Palladio exhibited his self-rule in adhering to a certain architectural proportion that seemingly relates to music theory. This imposed proportion, as found to be √2/1, can be seen in the length to width dimensions of numerous room in La Rotonda, containing a ratio of 26 x 15, which is argued as an interpretation of all musical intervals. The implementation of this concept also leads experts to believe it is the presence of triangulature in Villa La Rotonda's drawings, which is a system of proportions and ratios based on the height of an equilateral triangle.'''

Building began in 1567. Neither Palladio nor the owner, Paolo Almerico, were to see the completion of the villa. Palladio died in 1580 and a second architect, Vincenzo Scamozzi, was employed by the new owners to oversee the completion. One of the major changes he made to the original plan was to modify the two-story central hall. '''The extent of how much Scamozzi's takeover is unclear, though it is thought that Scamozzi had at least made the additions of ground passages and the vaulting of many ceilings. However, thanks to thermoluminescence dating and sampling, it is known that Scamozzi did not alter any of the work already completed by Palladio, but rather only added to what already existed. It should be noted that Scamozzi had modified the initial plans of La Rotonda, but only to what had not yet been constructed.'''

Interior

The interior design of the Villa was to be as wonderful, if not more so, than the exterior. Alessandro and Giovanni Battista Maganza and Anselmo Canera were commissioned to paint frescoes in the principal salons.

Among the four principal salons on the piano nobile are the West Salon (also called the Holy Room or Room of Religion, because of the religious nature of its frescoes and ceiling), and the East Salon, which contains an allegorical life story of the first owner, Paolo Almerico, his many admirable qualities portrayed in fresco.

'''The cupola contains many allegories that draw to the virtues of Christianity are represented, such as Chastity, Humility, and Charity. '''

The highlight of the interior is the central, circular hall, surrounded by a balcony and covered by the domed ceiling; it soars the full height of the main house up to the cupola, with walls decorated in trompe l'oeil. Abundant frescoes create an atmosphere that is more reminiscent of a cathedral than the principal salon of a country house.

Current Conditions

In 1994 UNESCO designated the building as part of a World Heritage Site, '''among 25 other works attributed to Palladio. La Rotonda, along with the other works of Palladio, are protected by Decreto Legislativo 42/2004, Codice dei Beni Culturali e del Paesaggio, in which any activity on the grounds of the structure must be authorized by the local office of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities. '''

The last owner of the villa was Mario di Valmarana († Oct. 13, 2010), a former professor of architecture at the University of Virginia. It was his declared ambition to preserve Villa Rotonda so that it may be appreciated by future generations. '''Today, preservation is coordinated by multiple parties under a strict Management Plan. The plan aims to restrengthen the urban image of the Palladian style, through various means of preserving and restoring Palladio works and surrounding areas. A UNESCO office established in the Municipality of Vicenza oversees the technical and administrative aspects. General coordination is split between the Ministry of Culture and the Veneto Region, and the Province of Vicenza coordinates provinces and municipalities.''' The interior is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays, except during the winter months, and the grounds are open every day.