Andrea Palladio influenced the history and evolution of Western architecture like no other. This book is the first of three in a series set to be the largest and most complete publication ever on the work of the great architect. Relying on comparison with drawings in "Palladios Four Books of Architecture (Venice, 1570)", the author highlights the links between the realized buildings and the theoretical designs, and between the concepts derived from classical architecture and the work of Vitruvius and their subsequent development. This volume is an indispensable tool for anyone interested in Palladios villas.