Abelvedere (/ˈbɛlvəˌdɪər/BEL-və-deer;Italian for 'beautiful view') orbelvidere is an architectural structure sited to take advantage of a fine or scenic view.[1] The term has been used both for rooms in the upper part of a building or structures on the roof, or a separatepavilion in a garden or park. The actual structure can be of any form or style, including aturret, acupola or an open gallery.[2] The term may be also used for a paved terrace or just a place with a good viewpoint, but no actual building.
It has also been used as a name for a whole building, as in theBelvedere, Vienna, a huge palace, orBelvedere Castle, afolly inCentral Park in New York.
On the hillside above theVatican Palace (c. 1480–1490),Antonio del Pollaiuolo built a smallpavilion (casino in Italian) named thepalazzetto or the Belvedere forPope Innocent VIII. Some years laterDonato Bramante linked the Vatican with the Belvedere, a commission fromPope Julius II, by creating theCortile del Belvedere ("Courtyard of the Belvedere"), in which stood theApollo Belvedere, among the most famous of antique sculptures. This began the fashion in the 16th century for the belvedere.
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