Villa Piovene, a veritable Palladian wonder nestled in the heart of Lugo di Vicenza, sparks curiosity. In the early 16th century, around 1539-1540, it was commissioned by the Venetian Piovene clan. The consensus points to Giovanni di Giacomo da Porlezza's workshop drawing the building blueprints. Yet, the intriguing part is, the extent of Andrea Palladio's involvement in the villa's execution remains an unanswered query. The UNESCO World Heritage Site label, bestowed upon the city since 1996, includes the 'City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto', while villas such as Villa Gazzotti and Villa Valmarana at Vigardolo were conspicuously excluded.
The structure itself poses conundrums: its plan is unadorned, the windows break the facade without rhyme or reason, and the pronaos appears awkwardly spliced to the main structure. A central loggia appears to have been started by Palladio around 1570, but it was finished off following his passing.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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