Villa Pisani, Bagnolo: A Harmonious Home in the Country

The entrance to Villa Pisani shows how good design can be executed with simple harmonious proportions. The columns of the portico are of the Doric order which are typically more stout and solid in nature. These form the three arched openings composed with a simple 2:3 width to height proportion. Hans A. Rosbach/CC BY-SA 3.0

One of the most influential architects of the past millennium, Andrea Palladio (1508–1580), shows in the Villa Pisani how good design can be executed with simple harmonious proportions and finishes rather than elaborate design and expensive materials. Located in Bagnolo, in the Veneto region of Italy, the Villa Pisani was one of Palladio’s early villa designs, completed in the 1540s, at the height of the Italian Renaissance.

The villa was placed at the heart of an agricultural estate and was designed with rusticated (textured rock) features to complement its rural setting. Palladio employed a suite of subtle design techniques to create the unity and harmony that’s present in the overall composition.

The geometry present in the three arched porticos, with a triangular pediment and radiating semi-circular stairs, becomes the main focus of the façade. The towers on either side of the entrance present taller proportions that are supported by similarly proportioned windows. The smooth exterior stucco provides contrast to the rusticated stone portico. A fine stone band marks the division from the basement level to the first floor and, with the rusticated windows and corners, provides a visual foundation to the villa.

On the interior, Palladio again employs simple proportional rules resulting in a sense of harmony for the interior spaces. The bedrooms maintain similar proportions that vary only slightly with a 2-to-3 height to breadth ratio and a 3-to-5 breadth to length ratio, while the main arched hall upholds the simple whole proportion of a 2-to-3 width to height ratio.

Palladio was able to understand the proportional fundamentals of the natural world. Although he would go on to create much grander architecture, he shows in this modest villa, that the basis of design is underpinned by simplicity and, in itself, carries inherent beauty.

The arched openings provide a view out from the large portico, creating an uplifting arrival to the villa. Gimas/Shutterstock

The villa was designed and built for the Pisani family, who were wealthy Venetian nobles. The Pisani family emblem is positioned here in the center of the triangular pediment. PHOTOMDP/Shutterstock

The textured stone, or rustication, around the front arches involves a process of working the stone to create a coarse finish, which is used to give visual weight to the ground floor. It also masks weathering that happens over time. The rustic look fits with this agricultural estate. PHOTOMDP/Shutterstock

The rustication around the front arches gives emphasis to the more refined architectural elements such as the curved balusters shown here. PHOTOMDP/Shutterstock

Palladio applied refined ornamental detail at the eave with subtle shifts in the lower portion, which became gentle curves punctuated with repeated corbels (the projecting elements), all harmoniously proportioned according to classical formulas. PHOTOMDP/Shutterstock

The villa was placed at the heart of an agricultural estate and was initially designed with a large courtyard to the rear of the villa, with wings consisting of stables and granaries to serve daily needs. The courtyard has since been demolished. Gimas/Shutterstock

Palladio applied modest interior finishes in a reserved manner. Simple plaster walls give emphasis to the murals that appear on the ceiling of the hall. A Diocletian window above the rear door, defined by the half circle form with two vertical mullions, or posts, provides natural lighting to the space. Gimas/Shutterstock

Below the Diocletian window, the hall opens on to the wide rear steps. Two proportioned rectangular windows balance a similarly proportioned door. Gimas/Shutterstock