Villa Zeno is a patrician villa at Cessalto, Veneto, northern Italy, and is the most easterly villa designed by the renowned Italian Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio. Constructed in the 1550s, it was designed for the Zeno family and is illustrated in I quattro libri dell'architettura, the architect's influential publication of 1570. The villa resembles some of the other villas mentioned in this book, such as Villa Saraceno. It also bears similarities to Villa Caldogno Nordera, which is attributed to Palladio but is not included in I quattro libri.
Although it seems that Palladio may have incorporated an existing building in Villa Zeno, the building has undergone several modifications. Its Palladian features include a facade characterized by a triple-arched loggia, and its roof is capped with period clay tiles. The structure is of brick covered with stucco, as was typical of Palladio who was known for achieving great buildings with inferior materials. In 1996, the villa was designated by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Site 'City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto'. The villa is currently in need of restoration.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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