A Palladio villa that was never finished can be more interesting than one that was. At Meledo, a hamlet in the municipality of Sarego south of Vicenza, Andrea Palladio drew up grand plans for the Trissino brothers in the mid-sixteenth century: a central block topped by a dome, with long curved colonnades stretching out like arms toward the river. Only a fragment was built, and what you see today is a modest farm building and some remains incorporated into later structures. Yet the design, published in Palladio's Four Books of Architecture, became one of his most influential, and the site is part of the UNESCO listing of the City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.
The Trissino name carries weight in Vicenza. Gian Giorgio Trissino, a humanist scholar and poet, was the man who spotted the talent of Palladio, then a young stonemason called Andrea di Pietro, and gave him the classical name by which he became famous. The villas of the Veneto were country estates for wealthy Venetian and Vicentine families, combining farm and residence, and Palladio's genius lay in making working farmhouses look like Roman temples.
The ride through this corner of the Veneto is easy and pleasant. The flat plain south of Vicenza is crossed by straight roads lined with poplars, canals and vineyards, with the Monti Berici rising to the east and the foothills of the Lessini to the north. The Berici hills offer the best riding nearby: narrow lanes that climb and twist through woods and vineyards, with small villages and views over the plain. Surfaces are generally good, but lanes can be narrow, and agricultural traffic is common. Spring is lovely, with fresh green fields and wisteria, and autumn brings the grape harvest.
Fuel is easy to find in Montebello Vicentino or Lonigo, the nearest larger towns. Food in the area is excellent: try bigoli pasta with duck sauce, baccalà alla vicentina, or the local Durello sparkling wine from the hills to the north. Park near the villa, take a look at what remains, and imagine the grand structure Palladio had in mind. Then head to one of the completed villas nearby, such as Villa Pojana, to see his vision fully realised.