Andrea Palladio

Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) was an Italian architect, widely considered one of the most influential individuals in the history of Western architecture. Born Andrea di Pietro della Gondola in Padua, he adopted the name Palladio after the Greek goddess of wisdom, Pallas Athena. His architectural style is known for its symmetry, perspective, and values of the formal classical temple architecture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Palladio's work was strongly based on the symmetry, perspective, and values of the formal classical temple architecture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. 

Palladio's most notable works include Villa Capra "La Rotonda", Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza, and Teatro Olimpico. His designs for villas in the Venetian countryside, with their notable porticos and loggias, were highly influential and many are preserved as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto". Palladio's treatise, I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura (The Four Books of Architecture), published in 1570, has been a seminal work for architects since the 17th century. His principles of design, often imitated and adapted, have been called Palladianism. Palladio's legacy extends beyond his immediate following. His work has been a source of inspiration for countless architects and designers over the centuries, including Inigo Jones, Thomas Jefferson, and Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington.