author of Brunelleschi's Dome

[A] wonderfully informative and evocative guide to both the elegant rooms of Palladio's villas and the fascinating history of how a humble stonemason from Padua became one of the most influential architects of all time.

Rybczynski's clear description of what he sees and his lucid explanations of Palladio's ideas and methods enable the reader to see and understand the essence of this architect's accomplishments.

Evocative, compelling, charming, The Perfect House is the perfect traveling companion.

In The Perfect House, bestselling author Witold Rybczynski, whose previous books have transformed our understanding of domestic architecture, reveals how a handful of Palladio's houses in an obscure corner of the Venetian Republic should have made their presence felt hundreds of years later and halfway across the globe. More than just a study of one of history's seminal architectural figures, The Perfect House reflects Rybczynski's enormous admiration for his subject and provides a new way of looking at the special landscapes we call "home" in the modern world.

foreword

I Godi

II Che Bella Casa

III The Arched Device

IV On the Brenta

V Porticoes

VI The Brothers Barbaro

VII An Immensely Pleasing Sight

VIII Emo

IX The Last Villa

X Palladio's Secret

Afterword

The Villas

Glossary

Acknowledgments"

Notes"

Index"