Palazzo Chiericati, Vicenza, Italy

The Palazzo Chiericati is a Renaissance palace in Vicenza, designed by Andrea Palladio for the Count Girolamo Chiericati. The architect started building the palace in 1550, and some further work was completed under the patronage of Chiericati's son, Valerio. However, the palazzo was not fully finished until about 1680, possibly by Carlo Borella.

The palazzo was built in an area called which housed the wood and cattle market. At that time, it was an islet surrounded by the Retrone and Bacchiglione streams, and to protect the structure from the frequent floods, Palladio designed it on an elevated position: the entrance could be accessed by a triple Classic-style staircase.

The palazzo's principal façade is composed of three bays, the central bay projecting slightly. The two end bays have logge on the piano nobile level, while the central bay is closed. The façade has two superimposed orders of columns, Tuscan on the lower level with Ionic above. The roofline is decorated by statuary.

Palazzo Chiericati, along with the other Palladian buildings of Vicenza, is part of a World Heritage Site 'City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto'.

References:

Wikipedia

Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick.

Stefanos Noutsias (2 years ago)
Incredible place. A Rennaisance Palace designed by Andrea Palladio. It houses the city museum. A World Heritage Site. Worth visiting for its collections, as well as for the building itself.

SWA TIM (3 years ago)
Exelent places !!!

MV (4 years ago)
I completely agree with a previous review... Great artwork but being shadowed by frowning staff throughout the whole visit was a little off-putting.

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