CONTENTS OVERVIEW 7 Palladio, theory and practice 7 Exploring the villas from the air 8 Traces 9 Indicators and predecessors 10 Interpretations and research questions 13 THE RE-CREATION OF THE VENETIAN TERRAFERMA 16 State intervention 17 Drainage and reclamation 18 Low land and high water 20 High land and low water 22 The re-creation of the Venetian terraferma 24 TEN SELECTED VILLAS 27 Villa Godi: Recomposing the landscape 32 Villa Saraceno: Breathing in the landscape 42 Villa Pisani, Bagnolo: The jump across the river 50 Villa Poiana: Broad composition 58 Villa Badoer: Separation and embrace 68 Villa Foscari: 'In splendid isolation' 76 Villa Cornaro: Long sightlines 84 Villa Barbaro: Water machine at the foot of the mountains 94 Villa Emo: A focal point in an agricultural landscape 106 Villa Rotonda: All-round symmetry and different on all sides 118 THE AGRICULTURAL VILLA AS MODEL FARM 132 The laws of architecture 133 A paradoxical problem 134. The residence 134 The coperto, or farm buildings 139 The farmyard 140 Variations on the model 141 The essence of the model 141 Plan development in three directions 142 Spatial synthesis 149 THE VILLA IN A PRODUCTION LANDSCAPE 150 Framing 151 The agricultural domain and the parcellation 153 Buildings and artefacts 155 Beacons in the landscape 155 The secret of Palladian staging 156 BIBLIOGRAPHY 158 INDEX 159 ILLUSTRATION CREDITS 160