ABSTRACT
In Greek philosophy, a close bond was thought to exist between the Good and the Beautiful. It may be argued that perspective and vision played a greater role in Renaissance design than modern scholars would like to accept. The villas under discussion were intended not only to be seen by the knowledgeable happy few: they were constructed also to command the attention of passers-by and had to play their role in society. Palladio had originally trained as a stone cutter and had worked as such in the building trade; in that respect, he was an exception among his famous collegues. Villa Pisani at Bagnolo di Lonigo, halfway between Vicenza and Verona, built in 1542–45 is far more accessible and visible. To sum up the essentials of Palladio's two types of villa design, we might say that the first is a more rural, one-storey building with simple decorations and strong axiality, and the second a more suburban, ornate, mostly two-storeyed type.
