7 Renaissance Homes That Changed Architecture Forever

Travel to 16th-century Italy, where seven visionary homes by Renaissance masters rewrote architectural rules with symmetry, proportion, and classical revival.

1

Villa La Rotonda

Andrea Palladio’s Villa Almerico-Capra features a domed central hall and identical porticos on all sides—modeling harmony after Rome’s Pantheon.

2

Villa Farnesina

Built 1506–1510 for banker Agostino Chigi, this Trastevere villa dazzles with Raphael’s mythic frescoes in the loggia of Cupid & Psyche.

3

Villa Emo

Completed 1560–61, Villa Emo integrates temple-front portico and agricultural wings, marrying elegant design with farm functionality.

4

Villa Cornaro

Palladio’s 1552 design in Piombino Dese introduces the two-story pedimented portico and interlocking room modules—a template for global villas.

5

Villa Barbaro

Built c.1560 for the Barbaro family, this Maser villa pairs a temple-front core with frescoes by Veronese and practical agricultural barchesse.

6

Villa Foscari (La Malcontenta)

Raised on a grand pedestal beside the Brenta, Palladio’s 1558 “Malcontenta” villa showcases a monumental portico and richly frescoed interiors.

7

Villa Godi Malinverni

Andrea Palladio’s 1542 debut villa in Lugo di Vicenza features a recessed loggia, symmetrical plan, and early experiments in harmonic proportion.