ABSTRACT
The villas by Andrea Palladio (1508 - 1580) in the sixteenth century for the terra firma, or mainland, region of the Veneto were designed primarily for the nobility of Vicenza and Venice. Here the functional organization of the villa and the use of furniture will be briefly studied in order to address the notion that all buildings and environments constitute ecologies. Agostino Gallo, writing in 1566, describes in detail the pleasure of villa life including the benefits of fresh air and good food, the freedom and ease of living in the country, the enjoyment of watching peasants working, and the various activities the inhabitants enjoyed. The women who also occupied the villa would have had a much more restricted existence, following very different patterns of living. The internal organization of the villa that Palladio developed responded precisely to the needs of his clients, judging from the popularity of his designs.
