No matter how you look at it, this villa is a showstopper: the namesake dome caps a square base, with identical colonnaded facades on all four sides. This is one of Palladio’s most admired creations, inspiring variations across Europe and the USA, including Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Inside, the circular central hall is covered from the walls to the soaring cupola with trompe l'œil frescoes. Catch bus 8 (€1.30, €2 on board) from in front of Vicenza's train station, or simply walk (about 25 minutes).
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La Rotonda
Top choice in Vicenza
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
17.64 MILES
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Across the river from the historic centre, these sculpted gardens are considered a masterpiece of Renaissance landscaping, and are named after the noble…
Sacrario Militare del Monte Grappa
26.1 MILES
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17.89 MILES
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1.31 MILES
Behind a walled garden lies a Renaissance marvel: the Teatro Olimpico, which Palladio began in 1580 with inspiration from Roman amphitheatres. Vincenzo…
17.71 MILES
This Renaissance palazzo (mansion) is the seat of Padua’s history-making university. Founded by renegade scholars from Bologna seeking greater…
Nearby Vicenza attractions
0.23 MILES
From La Rotonda, a charming footpath leads about 500m to the neoclassical elegance of Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’, nicknamed after the 17 statues of dwarves…
1.19 MILES
Six metres below modern Vicenza lies one of the city's lesser-known historical treasures – a 1st-century Roman cryptoportico. Discovered during postwar…
1.19 MILES
Vicenza's expertise in jewellery dates back to 600 BC when the Vicentini were crafting clothing fasteners, called fibula. This museum celebrates that…
1.19 MILES
Now a venue for world-class exhibitions, the Palladian Basilica is capped with an enormous copper dome reminiscent of the hull of a ship. The building,…
1.21 MILES
The heart of historic Vicenza is Piazza dei Signori, where Palladio lightens the mood of government buildings with his trademark play of light and shadow…
1.23 MILES
Designed by Lorenzo di Bologna, construction of Vicenza's cathedral began in the late 15th century. In the mid-16th century, Andrea Palladio added his own…
1.23 MILES
This is one of the few Palladio palaces not strictly open to the public, though as it is the seat of the town council, you can in theory take a sneaky…
1.26 MILES
Vicenza's civic art museum occupies one of Palladio’s finest buildings, designed in 1550. The ground floor, used for temporary exhibitions, is where you…
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