Palazzo Chiericati

The façade of Palazzo Chiericati, in Vicenza.

Palazzo Chiericati is a Renaissance palace in Vicenza (northern Italy), designed by Andrea Palladio. Since the 19th century it is seat of the Museo Civico ("Town Museum") and, more recently, of the City's Gallery. Like the other Palladian buildings of Vicenza, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site The Palladian Villas of the Veneto.

The construction was commissioned to Palladio by count Girolamo Chiericati. The architect started the works in 1550. They were completed by his son Valerio, who finished the living rooms.

The palace was built in an area called "piazza dell'Isola" ("Island Square", current Piazza Matteotti), as in that period formed an islet surrounded by the Retrone and Bacchiglione streams, and which had housed the wood and cattle market. To protect the structure from the frequent floods, Palladio designed it on an elevated position: the entrance could be accessed by a triple Classic-style staircase.

The palace's principal facade composes three bays, the central bay projecting slightly. The two terminating bays have logge on the piano nobile level, while the central bay is closed. The façade has two superposed orders of columns, surmounted by small statues.

External links

• Great buildings online retrieved 18.VIII.06
• Palazzo Chiericati - Vicenza - (1550) Description, photographs and location map (Italian and English)

Gallery

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  Interior ceiling with fresco paintings
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  Palazzo Chiericati ornamental portico beams
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  Ceiling on opposite side in different style