Palazzo Chiericati

Palazzo Chiericati is a Renaissance palace in Vicenza (northern Italy), designed by Andrea Palladio. Since the 19th century it is seat of the Museo Civico ("Town Museum") and, more recently, of the City's Gallery. Like the other Palladian buildings of Vicenza, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

The construction was commissioned to Palladio by count Girolamo Chiericati. The architect started the works in 1550. They were completed by his son Valerio, who finished the living rooms.

The palace was built in an are called "piazza dell'Isola" ("Island Square", current Piazza Matteotti), as in that period formed an islet surrounded by the Retrone and Bacchiglione streams, and which had housed the wood and cattle market. To protect the structure from the frequent floods, Palladio designed it on an elevated position: the antrance could be accessed by a triple Classic-style staircase.

The palace is formed by a central body with two side wings, the latter being slightly backwardly, with grand logge at the first floor ("noble floor"). The façade has two superposed orders of columns, surmounted by small statues.