Pal·la·dio  (pə-lā'dē-ō, pä-lä'dyō)  Italian architect who developed a style based on the classicism of ancient Rome, breaking with the ornate conventions of the Italian Renaissance. His works include the Villa Rotonda and the Palazzo Chiericati in Venice. |
A sixteenth-century Italian architect. In works such as San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice and the Villa Rotonda in Vicenza, he incorporated elements of classical Roman architecture and broke sharply with the ornate Renaissance style. His treatise Four Books of Architecture was especially influential to the designs of Christopher Wren in England.