Villa Forni Cerato, Montecchio Precalcino, Italy

The Villa Forni Cerato is a 16th-century villa in Montecchio Precalcino. Its design is attributed to Andrea Palladio and his client is assumed to have been Girolamo Forni, a wealthy wood merchant who supplied building material for a number of the Palladio's projects. The attribution to Palladio is partly on stylistic grounds, although this is a complicated issue - the building departs from the Palladian norms.

The villa was probably built in the 1540s modifying an existing building on the site. The double name Forni-Cerato, which it is always given, dates back to 1610. Both its attribution to Palladio and the assumption that Girolamo Forni had it built remain a matter of speculation. The first reference to the architect being Palladio is in the 18th century. However, modern research agrees almost unanimously with their opinion.

The body of the building has not undergone any significant changes with the exception of the back, which had a serliana, which was replaced by a balcony. The outline of the rear serliana is still visible.

Today, the only authentic sculptural decoration appears to be a mask over the round arch of the entrance serliana which is attributed to Alessandro Vittoria.

In 1996 UNESCO included the building in the World Heritage Site 'City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto'. The villa is in a poor state of conservation.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Arch. F. Salgarelli (2 years ago)
Study day visit, with the order of Ferrara architects... very interesting

renato curato (4 years ago)
I hope they restore it well

andrea fanchin (4 years ago)
A villa by Andrea Palladio, located in the countryside of Montecchio Precalcino. Small, but very charming, with a remarkable staircase leading to the main floors. For a long time the villa was left in complete decay, it took very little for it to fall slowly on itself. Now, finally, thanks to an entrepreneur, the villa has been undergoing complete restoration for a few months. A very important thing, to be able to see what it contains, certain of its details that leave the visitor speechless for the amazement of its beauty.

Claudia Girardin (4 years ago)
Engaging and exciting visit.

C&C SERRAMENTI (4 years ago)
Historic Venetian villa we recommend the visit and above all we hope it will return to illuminate the eyes with its beauty. Palladio would be happy

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

Historic Site of the week

Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

Villa Forni Cerato

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Sigmaringen Castle