I decided to visit on of the villas which are outside the city of Vicenza. There are several of them which were designed by architect Andrea Palladio but there is one which it not too far from Vicenza itself. I took a bus from the city gates of the Vicenza to a place just outside the city. It was outside enough that there was already wide open spaces but there was still enough buildings around that you know that you are still near civilization. I was trying to go to the Villa la Rotonda or officially, the Villa Almerico Capra Valmarama. The bus itself stops along the highway and I had to make my way to the Villa la Rotonda on foot.

The way to the villa itself is straightforward though it goes up a small hill which overlooks the area. In some angles, you can actually see the villa from the outside but it was completely hidden from we all the while I was going there. I eventually found the place and I saw some people working outside. I had a sense that something wasn’t right and they confirmed that the villa wasn’t open to visitor at the moment and it will only open after three months. That is no use to me. I can only stand outside the gates of the villa and take my photos from the outside.

While I can only look at it from the outside but from there I can that it looks very familiar. I then realized that it very much like the Pantheon in Rome where Andrea Palladio actually took inspiration from, I’m sure the ancient Romans won’t mind. The Villa la Rotonda gets its name from the circular dome on top of the villa. It is not very obvious here but the villa is actually symmetrical on all four sides. Inside is even better but I can only look at it online. The walls and ceiling are richly decorated and it is was a huge shame and I went all the way here just to stand outside the door. The workers let me take my photos as long as I don’t go in the grounds. There is only so much I can do from the outside and I soon was on my way.

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