Palazzo Porto
Encyclopedia
Palazzo Porto is a palazzo
built by Andrea Palladio
in Contrà Porti, Vicenza
, Italy
. It is one of two palaces in the city designed by Palladio for members of the Porto family
(the other being Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello). Commissioned by the noble Iseppo da Porto, just married (about 1544), this building had a rather long designing stage and a longer and troublesome realization, partially unfinished.
With the other palladian architectures in Vicenza, the palazzo is listed since 1994 in the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO
.
Allied with the Thiene, the Porto were one of the city’s rich and powerful families, and the palaces of the family’s various branches were ranked along the Contrada which today still bears their name. Iseppo was an influential personality, with various responsibilities in the public administration
of the city, responsibilities which on more than one occasion were intertwined with the assignments entrusted to Palladio.
Relations between the two must very probably have been closer than between patron
and architect
, if we consider that thirty years after the project for Iseppo’s city palace Palladio designed and began to build a great villa for him at Molina di Malo
, subsequently never completed. The two friends died in the same year, 1580.
The palace was inhabitable from December 1549, though less than half the façade
was standing and would only be completed three years later, in 1552. Numerous autograph drawings by Palladio record the complex design process. They show that right from the beginning Palladio planned for two distinct, residential blocks, one to lie along the street and the other contiguous to the back wall of the courtyard
. In the Quattro libri dell'architettura (1570) the two blocks are interconnected by a majestic courtyard with enormous Composite columns
: this is quite clearly a re-elaboration of the original idea in the interests of publication.
Compared with the Palazzo Civena
, only built a few years earlier, the Palazzo Porto fully illustrates the extent of Palladio’s evolution after the journey to Rome
in 1541 and his acquaintance with both antique and contemporary architecture. The Bramantean model of Palazzo Caprini
is here reinterpreted, with Palladio observing the Vicentine custom of living on the ground floor, which is higher as a result. The splendid, four-columned atrium
represents Palladio’s reinterpretation of Vitruvian
spaces, but one where traditional Vicentine typologies also survive.
The two rooms to the left of the atrium were fresco
ed by Paolo Veronese
and Domenico Brusasorzi, while the stucco
es are by Bartolomeo Ridolfi. On the palace attic
, the statues of Iseppo and his son Leonida, in antique Roman
garb, keep watch over the entrance of visitors to their house.
Palazzo
Palazzo, an Italian word meaning a large building , may refer to:-Buildings:*Palazzo, an Italian type of building**Palazzo style architecture, imitative of Italian palazzi...
built by Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio was an architect active in the Republic of Venice. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is widely considered the most influential individual in the history of Western architecture...
in Contrà Porti, Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is one of two palaces in the city designed by Palladio for members of the Porto family
Porto family
The Porto surname history has its origins in the Piemonte region of what is today Italy and parts of present day Southern France. They were part of a religious sect called the Valdese; they called themselves the Poor men of Lyon, the Poor of Lombardy, or the Poor...
(the other being Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello). Commissioned by the noble Iseppo da Porto, just married (about 1544), this building had a rather long designing stage and a longer and troublesome realization, partially unfinished.
With the other palladian architectures in Vicenza, the palazzo is listed since 1994 in the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
Historical and architectural description
It is very probable that Iseppo (Giuseppe) Porto’s decision to undertake construction of a great palace in the Contrà (Contrada) dei Porti was taken to emulate the edifice that his brothers-in-law Adriano and Marcantonio Thiene had begun to erect, in 1542, only a stone’s throw away. It is also possible that it was Iseppo’s very marriage to Livia Thiene, in the first half of the 1540s, which provided the concrete occasion for summoning Andrea Palladio.Allied with the Thiene, the Porto were one of the city’s rich and powerful families, and the palaces of the family’s various branches were ranked along the Contrada which today still bears their name. Iseppo was an influential personality, with various responsibilities in the public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
of the city, responsibilities which on more than one occasion were intertwined with the assignments entrusted to Palladio.
Relations between the two must very probably have been closer than between patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
and architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, if we consider that thirty years after the project for Iseppo’s city palace Palladio designed and began to build a great villa for him at Molina di Malo
Villa Porto (Molina di Malo)
Villa Porto in Molina di Malo, Province of Vicenza, Italy, is an unfinished villa veneta designed by Andrea Palladio in 1570.The extraordinary ten brick-column shafts which dominate the great 15th century farmyard of the Porto family at Molina mark the first stage of a grandiose project which...
, subsequently never completed. The two friends died in the same year, 1580.
The palace was inhabitable from December 1549, though less than half the façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
was standing and would only be completed three years later, in 1552. Numerous autograph drawings by Palladio record the complex design process. They show that right from the beginning Palladio planned for two distinct, residential blocks, one to lie along the street and the other contiguous to the back wall of the courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
. In the Quattro libri dell'architettura (1570) the two blocks are interconnected by a majestic courtyard with enormous Composite columns
Composite order
The composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order capital with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order. The composite order volutes are larger, however, and the composite order also has echinus molding with egg-and-dart ornamentation between the volutes...
: this is quite clearly a re-elaboration of the original idea in the interests of publication.
Compared with the Palazzo Civena
Palazzo Civena
Palazzo Civena is a Renaissance palace Vicenza, Italy, dating to 1540. It was is the first city palace designed by Andrea Palladio.The palace was constructed for the brothers Giovanni Giacomo, Pier Antonio, Vincenzo and Francesco Civena. The date “1540” engraved on the foundation medal, preserved...
, only built a few years earlier, the Palazzo Porto fully illustrates the extent of Palladio’s evolution after the journey to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1541 and his acquaintance with both antique and contemporary architecture. The Bramantean model of Palazzo Caprini
Palazzo Caprini
Palazzo Caprini was a Renaissance palazzo in Rome, Italy, in the Borgo rione between Piazza Scossacavalli and via Alessandrina. It was designed by Donato Bramante around 1510, or a few years before....
is here reinterpreted, with Palladio observing the Vicentine custom of living on the ground floor, which is higher as a result. The splendid, four-columned atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
represents Palladio’s reinterpretation of Vitruvian
Vitruvius
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Roman writer, architect and engineer, active in the 1st century BC. He is best known as the author of the multi-volume work De Architectura ....
spaces, but one where traditional Vicentine typologies also survive.
The two rooms to the left of the atrium were fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
ed by Paolo Veronese
Paolo Veronese
Paolo Veronese was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana and The Feast in the House of Levi...
and Domenico Brusasorzi, while the stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
es are by Bartolomeo Ridolfi. On the palace attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
, the statues of Iseppo and his son Leonida, in antique Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
garb, keep watch over the entrance of visitors to their house.
Sources
- Palazzo Porto in the CISA website (source for the first revision of this article, with kind permission)
- E. Forssman, Palazzo di Porto Festa a Vicenza, CISA Palladio, Vicenza 1973
See also
- Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello, VicenzaPalazzo Porto in Piazza Castello, VicenzaThe Palazzo Porto is a palace in Piazza Castello, Vicenza, northern Italy. It is one of two palazzi in the city designed by Andrea Palladio for members of the Porto family . Only two bays of it were ever built, beginning shortly after 1571...
- Villa Porto (Molina di Malo)Villa Porto (Molina di Malo)Villa Porto in Molina di Malo, Province of Vicenza, Italy, is an unfinished villa veneta designed by Andrea Palladio in 1570.The extraordinary ten brick-column shafts which dominate the great 15th century farmyard of the Porto family at Molina mark the first stage of a grandiose project which...