Palazzo Civena description and photos - Italy: Vicenza (Topic)

Palazzo Civena description and photos - Italy: Vicenza. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Palazzo Civena.

Photo and description

Palazzo Civena is a Renaissance palace in Vicenza, built in 1540. This is the first city palace designed by Andrea Palladio. It was built for the four Chiven brothers. The date "1540" is engraved on the medal, which is kept in the Civic Museum of Vicenza, and marks the beginning of construction of the Palazzo. The building was likely completed two years later, shortly before Palladio began work on the Palazzo Thiene. Unfortunately, in 1750, Palazzo Civena was significantly rebuilt by Domenico Cerato, and during the Second World War it was half destroyed during the bombing. Subsequently, only its facade was restored.

Palladio did not include the sketch of the Palazzo Civena in his treatise "Four Books on Architecture", but there are various author's drawings of the palace, which show that the architect changed the project several times. The original project can be reconstructed from the publication of Ottavio Bertotti Scamozzi in 1776: groups of rooms were placed on both sides of the atrium, and the Palladian windows are very similar to those found in the project of Palladian villas of the same period. Cherato later extended the atrium and modified the stairwells.

Since Palazzo Civena was built at the very beginning of 1540, it serves as an example of the early works and architectural views of Palladio before his fateful trip to Rome. Like the villa in Cricoli, the Palazzo stood out from the building tradition in Vicenza: the polyphora (medieval type of window) in the center of the facade was replaced by a strict sequence of bay windows with pilasters. There is no doubt that here Palladio relied on Roman palaces from the early 16th century. At the same time, the facade of the building is devoid of plasticity, and seems to be cut from a sheet of paper.

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Topic: Palazzo Civena description and photos - Italy: Vicenza.