Villa Godi
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The Villa Godi is a patrician villa in Lugo di Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It was one of the first projects by Andrea Palladio, as attested in his monograph - the Quattro Libri dell'Architettura. The work was commissioned by the brothers Girolamo, Pietro and Marcantonio Godi, started in 1537 and concluded in 1542, with later modifications to the rear entry and gardens.
The building is striking for the lack of ornamentation usually associated with Palladio's mature work, and for the refined, symmetrical proportions of the façade and massing of the structure. The plan is arranged with two apartments on each side of the central axis between the recessed entryway loggia to the salone. The interior is decorated with frescos by Gualtiero Padovano and other artisans.
The villa and extensive gardens are open to the public in the afternoon, year round. The building also houses a museum of archeology, with hundreds of fossils of plant and animal life for the region.