Fodor's Expert Review Palazzo Barbaran da Porto (Palladio Museum)

Palladio executed this beautiful city palace for the Vicentine noble Montano Barbarano between 1570 and 1575. The noble patron, however, did not make things easy for Palladio; the architect had to incorporate at least two pre-existing medieval houses, with irregularly shaped rooms, into his classical, harmonious plan. It also had to support the great hall of the piano nobile (moving floor) above the fragile walls of the original medieval structure. The wonder of it is that this palazzo is one of Palladio's most harmonious constructions; the viewer has little indication that this is actually a transformation of a medieval structure. The palazzo also contains a museum dedicated to Palladio and is the seat of a center for Palladian studies.