Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, later renamed Andrea Palladio in honor of the Greek goddess Pallas Athena, was born in Padua in 1508 and moved at a young age in Vicenza, where he worked as a trainee "tajapiera", ie stonemason, in the workshop of Giovanni da Pedemuro.

The young Andrea was noticed by the noble writer, philosopher and patron Giangiorgio Trissino, while he was working on the redesign of his home, currently named Villa Cricoli Trissino Trattenero. Trissino noticed the strong capability and genius of the technical solutions implemented by the young, and took him under his wing, introducing him to the environments nobles of the city, encouraging activity and in the studies, and then leading it with him in a few trips to Rome.

Palladio began planning Country villas and city palaces for the richest and most influential families of Vicenza, and quickly began the career of this brilliant architect, who would have revolutionized the concept of architecture in the world.

One of the main elements of his work is the recovery of the classical Greek and Roman tradition, stemming from his extensive studies on ancient ruins, studies that were inspired by their trips to Rome with Trissino.

Therefore he introduced in homes he designed inputs resting on a sort of podium steps, crowned by a loggia columns, as in Greek temples; and he had the idea to make interiorly fresco by the best artists of the time; and, especially, he had the capacity to build every time with a style that was in harmony with the rank, personality, profession and hobbies of the owner, as well as in full consonance with the surrounding landscape. So he invented a new concept of the Venetian Villa, which was at the same time the seat of the business activity, a representative office, an exhibition of taste and culture, and a place of recreation and retreat.
The inventions that Palladio introduced are so numerous, as to be very difficult to list them in a few lines.

The city most benefited from his work is undoubtedly Vicenza, that although the chronicles describe how a beautiful town already since Roman times, Palladio contributed significantly to make it more and more beautiful, designed to bring the public admiration of prominent people, such as Johann Wofgang von Goethe, which definied it "a town-theatre" for the impressive scenery created by its monuments.

His most important works are The Palladian Basilica, the Teatro Olimpico, Villa Capra "La Rotonda", and many other country villas and palaces of the city (the latter all in Vicenza), and also the churches of San Giorgio Maggiore and the Redentore in Venice.

The Palladian architecture are well known, studied and imitated in the world, especially in the Anglo-Saxon countries (mostly in Great Britain and the United States). For example, the White House in Washington was built inspired by the Villa Capra La Rotonda. The affection and gratitude, especially in the United States for Palladio are so great, as Palladio was recently officially named "the father of American architecture."

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