Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why did the Basilica in Vicenza need a two-story arcade?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Andrea Palladio
Villa Rotonda, near Vicenza, Italy, by Andrea Palladio, 1550–51.
The Basilica in Vicenza required a two-story arcade because it was designed to serve as a structural buttress for the existing 15th-century town hall.1
Andrea Palladio’s design involved recasing the vast, older hall with this white stone arcade, which was intended to provide necessary support to the original structure while harmonizing with its Gothic style and incorporating classical proportions.1