Villa Zeno

Villa Zeno is located in Donegal di Cessalto in the province of Treviso

The Venetian Villa was designed by the architect Andrea Palladio around 1554. The building has been on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites since 1996, together with the other Palladian villas in the Veneto.

Villa Zeno features many of the typical features of Palladian architecture, including harmonious proportions, the use of the triangular pediment, Corinthian columns, arches and porticoes. One of the most distinctive features of the villa is its curved pediment, which differentiates it from other works by Palladio.

The Villa Zeno complex also includes a barchessa (a kind of agricultural annex) which contributes to the overall harmony of the structure. The surrounding garden was originally designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, a follower of Palladio, but was later modified.

The dating of the project for Villa Zeno in Cessalto is not certain, one of the least known and certainly the most eastern (geographically speaking) of the Palladian villas. Recent hypotheses set the project in 1554, i.e. as soon as Marco Zeno acquired ownership of the Cessalto estate, and this is well compatible with the evident formal affinities with other villas of the same period such as Villa Saraceno in Finale di Agugliaro and Villa Caldogno.

Villa Zeno is today open to the public and represents one of the numerous Palladian villas that can be visited in the Veneto region.