Palladio
Villa Godi
The Villa Godi is featured on our Vicenza & Villa Rotonda tour which operates every Wednesday.
The Villa Godi was the first accredited Villa to Andrea Palladio.
Most architects first commissions are perhaps a kitchen extension
or perhaps, a 
vacation home hidden away in the countryside.
The Villa Godi, its immense size and prominent location upon
a hillside above the river Astico, could have ended Palladio's
career before it had even started. Not surprisingly, Andrea Palladio
took no risks with execution of this plan.
In fact, many years later when he wrote the "four books
of architecture", Andrea Palladio went back to the design
of the Villa Godi to correct the errors he made in his original
design of the Villa. The Villa houses frescoes by Zellotti and
Padovano, and despite the inherant flaws in the facade of the
Villa, Palladio remembered the Villa Godi fondly.
Ten years after the Villa Godi was completed he returned to the
villa to plan the layout of the frescoes on the interior, and
while doing so he added a Serliana to the rear of the property
to bring extra light in to the main salon of the Villa to illuminate
the frescoes.
Like many of the villas of Andrea Palladio, the Villa Godi has endured
mixed fortunes over the years. The Grand approach to the Villa was lost
in the 19th century, and during the first world war it was headquarters
of the British high command and temporary of Prince Edward of Edward
and Mrs Simpson fame.
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