Basilica Palladiana is the monumental public building that dominates Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza. Although its name can suggest a church, the building is a civic palace, created when Andrea Palladio redesigned the medieval Palazzo della Ragione with classical loggias in white stone. The Basilica Palladiana stands at the political and architectural center of Vicenza. Its core belonged to the city’s medieval public palaces, while its famous exterior belongs to the Renaissance language of Palladio. This combination explains why the monument is both a preserved civic building and a decisive work in Palladio’s career. Today, the Basilica Palladiana is used for exhibitions, cultural events and public access to its panoramic terrace. The building has several independent exhibition spaces, including the great upper hall. Its location beside the Torre Bissara makes it one of the most recognizable urban views in Vicenza. The Basilica Palladiana is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto, first inscribed in 1994. In 2014, the building was also declared an Italian National Monument, confirming its legal and symbolic importance for Italian cultural heritage. Its fame depends especially on the repeated serliana, also known as the Palladian window. Read more [...]
Tag: Tommaso Formenton in Vicenza
Palazzo Angaran
Palazzo Angaran, also known as Palazzo Magrè Angaran, is a Renaissance-style palace in Vicenza, located in Piazza XX Settembre, in front of Ponte degli Angeli. SHORT HISTORY The palace was built around 1480 at the behest of Battista Magrè, on a piece of land belonging to the family, probably by the Vicentine architect Tommaso Formenton. In 1552, the palace was bought by Giacomo Angaran, a friend of Andrea Palladio, who asked the architect to prepare a sumptuous invention to replace the existing building. Palladio designed the project, but it was never realized. The last owner, Ottavio Angaran Porto, ceded the property to the Municipality of Vicenza, which allowed the building to deteriorate. In 1899, a few years after the disastrous flood of 1882, to avoid further damages caused by the frequent flooding of the nearby Bacchiglione River, the street level around the building was raised, almost completely burying the portico. In the second decade of the 20th century, the building was so badly deteriorated, that the Municipality of Vicenza considered demolishing it. Starting from 1921, however, the restoration began. The palace was dismantled piece by piece and rebuilt to a higher level, replacing only the dilapidated moldings and the Read more [...]