Posted on June 14, 2010 - by admin

The Palladian tour

One of the cutest and most beautiful niches of architecture I’ve ever seen is Palladian architecture. Based on the works of architect Andrea Palladio, the style was popular a little all over Europe, but found its biggest expression in Portugal and in Britain and the British colonies. The style itself borrows from Greek and Roman architecture, mainly its symmetry and perspective.

One of the greatest signature pieces of Palladian architecture is the Venetian Window, which is a beautifully arched window surrounded by two pillars. For a style that was mostly present in England and the British Isles, its best known building is in the United States – the White House. But in England is where you’ll find not only the prettiest pieces of it, but also the greatest diversity of the architecture, from houses like the Queen’s House in Greenwich or the Stourhead House, to beautiful bridges like the Pulteney Bridge in Bath.

If you’re planning on taking the Palladian tour around England, you might want to rent a car to go around the country, as the better known buildings will be outside of the major urban centers and, therefore, won’t be well serviced by public transport. So getting a car from a less populated county like from a Somerset car hire company will probably be the best idea.