Wing of the Villa Thiene, Renaissance barchessa in Villafranca Padovana, Italy.
The Wing of the Villa Thiene is a barchessa with a series of stone arches supported by columns that runs like a gallery along the agricultural area. The structure shows how Renaissance architecture was adapted for working farm purposes.
The building was designed by Andrea Palladio around 1556 for Francesco Thiene. Work stopped abruptly in 1567 when religious tensions forced the family to leave.
The structure shows traditional Venetian farm architecture, merging practical agricultural needs with Renaissance design principles. You can see how working requirements and artistic design came together in rural buildings.
The building sits on Via Piazzola and is easy to find with open views from outside. Visitors should come during warmer months to fully enjoy the arcades and see the structure against the sky.
This is the only completed section of Palladio's original plan, which called for four corner towers and curved porticoes. This makes the building today appear like a fragment of an unfinished masterwork.
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