Andrea Palladio was a very popular and renowned Italian architect whose works are primarily based on Renaissance themes and he himself lived in renaissance and therefore learned from the experiences of the Renaissance age. He experimented and worked in the Republic of Venice. Palladio had the influence of Roman and Greek architecture especially by Vitruvius. He for his achievements is considered as a most impressive person from the Western architecture. Most of his works in form of architectural buildings are located at in the northern Italy. The city of Vicenza and the Palladian as designed and themed by him are recognized as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
He was born as Andrea di Pietro della Gondola in Padua. He was a son of a miller; he did his first internship as a stone cutter in the sculpture workshop of Bartolomeo Cavazza da Sossano, under the difficult and rough working conditions. In 1524, revolting harsh working conditions, he ran away to Vicenza and there became an assistant in the Pedemuro studio that was the prominent workshop of stonecutters and masons. He was for the first time recognized for his works in early thirties by Count Gian Giorgia Trissino who was quite an influential humanist and writer. In his capacity of a leading intellectual in Vicenza the Count inspired the young Andrea to praise arts, sciences and the Classical literature and provided him opportunity to learn Antique architecture in Rome. The Trissino also gave him the pseudonym, Palladio, an allusion to the Greek goddess of wisdom Pallas Athene and to a character of a play of Trissino itself.
After the death of count in 1550 Palladio was benefited largely from the patronage of the Barbaro brothers, Cardinal Daniele Barbaro. The Cardinal further motivated him for the learning of the classical studies and brought him to Rome in 1554. The influential Barbaros introduced Palladio to Venice, where, ultimately he became “Proto della Serenissima”, the chief architect of the Republic of Venice.
In his works, his Palladian style as named after him as close to the classical Roman principles, he rediscovered, applied and further explained in his works. His architectural works is known and recognized for centuries as an essence of the quintessence of High Renaissance calm and harmony. He was the designer of many palaces, villas and churches; however, his reputation largely lies on the basis of his skill of designing Villas. The palladian villas, designed by him are prominently situated at in the province of Vicenza, while the palazzi are concentrated in the city of Vicenza and the churches in Venice. A good number of his works kept as a World Heritage Site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto. His other famous works can be found at its Lagoon World Heritage Site.
