TheWing of the Villa Thiene is a construction designed by Italian Renaissance architectAndrea Palladio, located in Cicogna, a hamlet in thecomune ofVillafranca Padovana in theVeneto region ofItaly.
Thebarchessa (wing) which exists today was only part of an ambitious project drawn up by Andrea Palladio for FrancescoThiene and his sons Odoardo and Teodoro.
InI quattro libri dell'architettura (1570) Palladio states that it was Francesco who initiated building works, and since he died in 1556 it is probable that Palladio’s project must have been conceived previously. In 1563, building works were in full swing, and a map dating from the following year well represents the state of the works which would halt in 1567, when Odoardo hastily abandonedVicenza fleeing intoProtestant territory for religious reasons.
Andrea Palladio was probably Odoardo’s personal friend, since he actually assisted him at the alarming moment of his flight, and witnessed the notarial act which nominated Odoardo’s brother Teodoro trustee of the properties he necessarily abandoned behind him.
The project for Villa Thiene is documented by anengraving in theQuattro libri; decidedly ambitious, it was characterised by a greatloggia with agiant order, enclosed betweentowers arranged at the building’s four angles. A drawing by Marcantonio Palladio of the realisedbarchessa exists, which is extremely close to the executed form.
Bothbarchesse of the project should have been connected to the lordly house by two curvilinearporticos, identical to those designed by Palladio in 1554 for theVilla Badoer atFratta Polesine.
45°30′11″N11°47′32″E / 45.5031°N 11.7923°E /45.5031; 11.7923
