Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 52. Chapters: Teatro Olimpico, Villa Barbaro, Villa Capra "La Rotonda", Villa Badoer, San Pietro di Castello, Il Redentore, Villa Emo, Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Palazzo del Capitaniato, San Francesco della Vigna, Palazzo Barbaran da Porto, Villa Gazzotti Grimani, Palazzo Porto, Palazzo Valmarana, Palazzo Thiene, Villa Forni Cerato, Villa Pojana, Villa Trissino, Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare, Villa Saraceno, Villa Cornaro, Villa Pisani, I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura, San Giorgio Monastery, Villa Piovene, Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello, Palazzo Antonini, Villa Godi, Villa Thiene, Palazzo Civena, Palazzo Chiericati, Palazzo Schio, Villa Chiericati, Casa Cogollo, Villa Foscari, Villa Porto, Villa Serego, Wing of the Villa Thiene, Palazzo Dalla Torre, Basilica Palladiana, Villa Repeta, Villa Arnaldi, Villa Zeno, Palazzo Pretorio, Villa Angarano, Villa Valmarana, Palazzo Pojana. Excerpt: The Teatro Olimpico ("Olympic Theatre") is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy: constructed in 1580-1585, it is the oldest surviving enclosed theatre in the world. The theatre was the final design by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, Renaissance, and was not completed until after his death. The trompe-l'oeil onstage scenery, designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, to give the appearance of long streets receding to a distant horizon, was installed in 1585 for the very first performance held in the theatre, and is the oldest surviving stage set still in existence. The Teatro Olimpico is, along with the Teatro all'antica in Sabbioneta and the Teatro Farnese in Parma, one of only three Renaissance theatres remaining in existence. Both these theatres were based, in large measure, on the Teatro Olimpico. Since 1994, the Teatro Olimpico, together with other Palladian buildings in and around Vicenza, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto". Floor plan (drawing by Ottavio Bertotti Scamozzi, 1776) The "cavea", or seating area. The "loggia" or columned portico at the top conceals a staircase (visible in Scamozzi's floorplan) which originally served as the entrance to the cavea. Longitudinal section (Ottavio Bertotti Scamozzi, 1776) Detail of the wood-and-plaster stage scenery designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, as viewed through the porta reggia of the scaenae frons. The entrance to the Teatro Olimpico courtyard from Piazza Matteotti. The medieval wall predates the theatre, but the rusticated entrance arch was designed by Scamozzi, and clearly mimics the style and size of the porta reggia inside the theatre. These oil lamps, designed by Scamozzi, were used to create interior lighting for the "houses" along the imaginary streets, for the very first production. The Teatro Olimpico is the last work by Palladio, and ranks amongst his highest masterworks. The Vicentine architect had returned to his native city in 1