Many roads, in Veneto, are dotted with ancient villas, noble and imposing, in which the Venetian aristocracy spent the warmer seasons from the 16th century onwards.

It was a competition of sumptuous architecture but also functional for the cultivation of the surrounding countryside.

Many architects and painters gave their best, but undoubtedly the one who was the main reference for clients and colleagues was the architect Andrea Palladio.

His fame came from the great public and private buildings in Venice and Vicenza, but it was his genius that captured the spirit of the 'country house' that the Venetian nobleman wanted and needed as a centre for the agricultural production of his landed estates.

Palladio designed over twenty, mainly in the province of Vicenza, all of which are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

A symbol of elegant and simple architecture, always clear and uncluttered, the villas with their barchesse are in a strong relationship with their surroundings, often on the side of a hill and above a gently sloping garden.

These stars are often hidden in streets that are no longer frequented and it is therefore their search and discovery that invites the traveller to embark on the short journey.