CASERMA EDERLE, Italy -- A native son of the Veneto and an American president were linked Feb. 11 in a lecture given by Professor Howard Burns at the Golden Lion conference room here.
Nearly 60 guests from the Vicenza Military Community gathered to listen to a presentation by Burns, president of the Academic Council at the Palladio Center in Vicenza. He presented "Palladio in America" at the invitation of U.S. Army Garrison Italy Commander Col. Steve Marks and Italian Base Commander Col. Umberto D'Andria, in partnership with the Vicenza Palladio Museum.
Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio is regarded as the greatest architect of 16th-century northern Italy, and his influence traveled far and wide-- most notably in this presentation, to the United States of America via Founding Father and President Thomas Jefferson.
As he welcomed the guest speaker, the garrison commander hinted at the influence of Palladio on Jefferson.
"Palladio's work significantly influenced American architecture. … Just think for a moment about Thomas Jefferson, who was never able to see the works of Palladio in person, but who admired them and was inspired by them through books and drawings," Marks said.
"We are pleased to have the opportunity to learn more about a son of Vicenza who inspired a vision of the New America."
For his part, Burns said he was pleased to visit the military installation.
"This is the first opportunity (the Palladio Center has had) for cultural interchange with the base," he said. "This is a good start towards doing things together and collaborating."
Burns shared the connection of Palladio and Jefferson, the subject of a current exhibit at the museum, "Jefferson and Palladio: Constructing a New World." The speaker took the audience on what he called "reflections around the exhibition" to educate, and perhaps entice, them to learn more. In fact, during Presidents' Day weekend, the museum hosted Thomas Jefferson Days, whereby all American citizens and Italians who work here were offered free admittance and guided tours.
Jefferson, called a "gentleman architect" by historians (a common practice before architecture became a licensed profession), gave the young United States some of its most iconic buildings. According to historian and writer Calder Loth, Jefferson was Palladio's foremost American disciple.
We only need to look as far as a nickel in our pockets, Burns said, to see why Jefferson is the subject of a presentation in Vicenza. The nickel features Monticello, a Palladio-inspired building, designed by Jefferson himself.
After actively studying Palladio's "The Four Books on Architecture," Jefferson was so inspired that the Italian's work was the sole model for the American's vision of the New World. The Rotunda of the University of Virginia and buildings in the state capitol of Virginia are just a few examples of Palladio's style brought about by Jefferson.
Many more similarities between the two gentlemen abound, and visitors are encouraged to visit the exhibit at the museum, Palazzo Barbaran, Contra Porti 11. It is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., until March 28.
Entrance fee is 10 euro/reduced 7 euro. For more information, go to www.palla�diomuseum.org.
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