Palazzo Porto - Palace, designed by Andrea Palladio in the village of Contra dei port in Vicenza. This is one of two residences, designed by Palladio for members of the Porto family (the other is called the Palazzo Porto John Piazza Castello). Together with other creations of the great architect of the palace listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Palazzo Porto built for aristocrat Izeppo da Porto. Creating a project took quite a long time, and the construction was accompanied by numerous problems, and the building left partially unfinished. It is likely that Izeppo da Porto decided to build a palace for himself only to compete with their relatives Adriano and Marcantonio Thiene that in 1542, the year began the construction of the Palazzo own just a couple of kilometers. It is also likely that the marriage Porto Libya Tiene allowed him to hire Andrea Palladio.

Intermarry with the family Thiene family in Porto became one of the richest and most influential in Vicenza, and the residence of its many offspring are scattered throughout Contra (area), which now bears their name - Contra dei port. Izeppo was a significant figure in the government of Vicenza and has held several important posts and by occupation faced by Andrea Palladio. Relations between them were probably closer than the relationship between the customer and, if we take into account the fact that 30 years after the completion of the Palazzo Porto, Palladio began construction of a luxury villa in Molina di Malo for the same Izeppo. The two friends had died in 1580, the year.

Since 1549, the year of the Palazzo Porto was inhabited, despite the fact that only half of its facade was completed (finally it was completed only in 1522, the year). Of the surviving sketches Palladio is clear that from the outset he intended to build two separate residential premises - one along the street, and the second - at the rear wall of the patio. Both buildings are connected by a wonderful patio with huge composite columns.

Compared with the Palazzo Chivena built just a few years earlier, the Palazzo Porto illustrates the evolution of Palladio's skill when it travels to Rome in 1541, the year with samples and explore the ancient and classical architecture. In its creation Palladio's Palazzo plays Caprino great Bramante taking into account local characteristics and lifestyle adopted in Vicenza (eg, traditions live on the ground floor, which is due to this was higher than in other cities). A perfect Four-atrium reminiscent of ancient works of Vitruvius. Two rooms on the left of the atrium were frescoed by Paolo Veronese and Domenico Brussasortsi and moldings made by Bartolomeo Ridolfi. On the pediment of the palace you can see the statue Izeppo and his son Leonidas in Roman odeyanihya that to this day watching the visitors of his Palazzo.