Palladio’s villa Saraceno. Twenty years after the restoration

Abstract

The restoration - following decades of abandonment and vandalism - of Palladio’s Villa Saraceno is now twenty years old. This article presents a personal reflection by the architect in charge of the restoration on the occasion of a commemorative seminar held at the villa. The text, transformed into a declaration of principles, compiles interesting ideas and concepts applicable to restoration, including sprezzatura (as opposed to affectation), tempered restoration to its original state or imperfect restoration. With the passing of the years, the restoration of this building appears to have functioned correctly confirming the original decisions and intuitions of the author to a great extent.

Keywords

• restauración
• arquitectura
• Palladio