Villas of the Veneto

Villas of the Veneto Between the 1400's and the 1600's the Venetian Nobility built thousands of villas in the countryside near Venice as vacation homes to escape the heat of the hot summers in the lagoon and to retreat from the day to day life of the mercantile republic. This fact caused one of the most interesting architectural phenomena of Italy.

Each villa - diverse in stile according to its epoch, form, and dimension - has characteristics in common with the others: they are residences of the landlord and the center of agricultural holdings (often on lands reclaimed from swamps), they are surrounded by parks or gardens, and adapted to a highly refined life of society. Many were designed by great architects, and decorated by the finest artists.

This experience is a unique opportunity to explore the countryside around Venice and learn about the luxury of a by-gone era. You'll know the works of artists such as Tiepolo and Veronese in their original setting, and experience the glory of the breathtaking architecture such as that of Palladio and Scamozzi.