Comments on the style saloniste: Chasing Palladio

Julia- Thank you so much for your kind and inform...

2009-09-27T15:29:00.361-07:00

Julia-

Thank you so much for your kind and informative comment.
I do appreciate this information--and background.
I was aware of the work your family had done to rescue the villa--I know it was sadly neglected when you took possession. Thank you so much for the beautiful and perfect and hard work you applied for so many years--and paved the way for the Gables in both the villa and the town itself and among the very eagle-eyed Palladio community.
I am so happy to hear from you--and to round out the report for th villa's history, and yours.
Kindest regards and thanks, DIANE

I love your coments about Palladio, Venice and the...

2009-09-27T11:43:04.074-07:00

I love your coments about Palladio, Venice and the beautiful Villa Cornaro at Piombino Dese, not far from Venice, which my husband purchased from the Italian Government in 1969 and which we restored and furished over a period of twenty years. We are delighted with the new owners, who have opened the villa to the public as we did and who have promoted Palladio in lecures and in excellent web pages and Carl Gable is now President of the Palladio Society of America.
Perhaps you read our unpublished story of the purchase and restoration of the villa and the 1989 sale to Carl Gable on our web page about my husband's latest book, "Collector Cars, Classics for the New Century," which features the Villa Cornaro on the cover as a great classic along with my husband's Lamborghini Miura. I walk through the villa each day in my memory...it was truly a great experience to have lived there. I see Palladio's influence almost everywhere... from Monticello to the WhiteHouse, to Drayton Hall to southern mansions and even buildings at Harvard and Dartmouth and other colleges and universities, public buildings, museums, and even many modern buildings. and in several of the homes we have owned ...and I know the Gables and their family are enjoying the villa now...and they keep it beautifully... and they fit into the town very well.

We have a small exhibit of Palladio with books(many of which have the Villa Cornaro on the cover) and pictures of the Villa Cornaro and a model of it and some of our Italain art and antiques celebrating Palladio's 500th birthday at the Richard H Rush Library at the Edison State College in Fort Myers, Florida where we are living now.

Being a fan of Palladio I highly recommend a stop ...

2009-06-21T00:23:24.344-07:00

Being a fan of Palladio I highly recommend a stop in Vicenza if you have not been there before. Amazing Palladian architecture. And, if it is still there, the best little family place to eat right in the main square.

Aesthete- The upper levels of the portico of Villa...

2009-06-16T08:36:53.313-07:00

Aesthete-
The upper levels of the portico of Villa Cornaro are indeed conducive to reading, gazing over the landscape, dreaming, and perhaps nibbling white peaches, with a sip of Prosecco.
I was incredibly fortunate to be able to be guided around the Villa Cornaro by the Gables, who have devoted years to the villa, and are completely besotted with it. As a visitor walks around the interior, Mr Gable notes the statuary, the didactic murals with discrete freemasonry symbols, and tells anecdotes of Cornaro ancestors, including a Queen of Cyprus. Few Palladian villas are private, with beds and desks and fresh flowers, enjoyed daily by the owners. Most (like many chateaux in France) are owned by a municipality or the state. At Palazzo Brandolini in Venice, or the Chateaux de Villandry or Vaux-le-Vicomte in France, the private owners keep the interiors alive, spirited and connected to centuries of history. Villa Cornaro offers this unique experience--with running commentary on Palladio and successive owners by the house-proud Gables.

I have visited venice 2 times...but this reading w...

2009-06-16T07:53:59.026-07:00

I have visited venice 2 times...but this reading was like a walkthrough the whole city...lovely pictures and elaborate explanation...please do visit my blog
www.cherishingspaces.blogspot.com

That façade (Villa Cornaro) is ravishing. What bli...

2009-06-16T07:46:53.719-07:00

That façade (Villa Cornaro) is ravishing. What bliss it would be to sit on that balcony all day, lazily reading.

Hi Brillante- The end of May, early June, is the ...

2009-06-15T17:26:00.150-07:00

Hi Brillante-

The end of May, early June, is the perfect time to go chasing Palladio around the Veneto!
But...on the other time, any time in Venice is time well-spent.

Regarding San Giorgio Maggiore church (pictured in my shots there) I always find it fascinating, ethereal, timeless, iconic. I like to watch it in all lights, all seasons. Two favorite vantage points: the roof deck of the Danieli hotel, and the Cipriani launch, coming and going to lunch or drinks.

Great pictures and superb commentary. Reading it w...

2009-06-11T22:55:42.357-07:00

Great pictures and superb commentary. Reading it was like being there with you.