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VICENZA
203km
(126 miles) E of Milan, 68km (42
miles) W of Venice, 52km (32
miles) NE of Verona.
A visit to
Vincenza will be a visit to see
the architectural experiments of,
one of the greatest architects of
the High Renaissance, Andrea di
Pietro, known as Palladio
(1508-80). His inspiration came
from the classical art and
architecture of ancient Greece and
Rome. Palladio became the citys’
architect covered the city with
palazzi and cathedrals, and in the
surrounding hills he designed the
houses and villas of aristocratic,
old families.
The architect was to be of particular significance to the
countries of England and America.
In the eighteenth century, Robert
Adams, along with others at a
later date, was influenced by him
and the result of this influence
can be seen in many country homes
in England. These students of the
methods of Palladio brought the
ethos of his creations to the
plantation homes of the American
South. This architectural style of
his came to be known as
Palladianism. It is characterized
by a regularity of form, imposing
size, and an faithfulness to
shapes customary to the ancient
world. Most tourists come to
Vicenza today mainly to see the
works left by Palladio, and
because of this, the city was
designated a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 1994.
Another
of Vincenza’s famous sons was
Federico Faggin, the inventor of
the silicon chip. Probably because
of this many local computer
component industries now prosper
on Vicenza's outskirts; its
citizens earn one of the highest
average incomes in the country
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