Thirty-One Days of Italians

The purpose of this website is to educate others about the significant contributions that those of Italian heritage have made to America. Biographies range from one to several paragraphs providing an overview, and links to a collection of selected resources are provided for more in-depth research. The information is intended to be shared and distributed; however, the work in this website is a result of massive hours of researching, organizing, creating, and writing. If you use any of the information on this website, please give proper credit by citing Thirty-One Days of Italians and adding a link to this website. Thank you.

ARCHITECTURE

Andrea Palladio [HM] (1508-1580) Considered by many to be the “Father of Architecture,” and the most influential architect of the western world, Andrea Palladio’s style – arches, columns, pediments, porticos, symmetry, and the Palladian window – traveled throughout Europe, to England, and then to America. Born Andrea di Pietro in Padua (region of Veneto), Palladio trained as a stonecutter and was hired in the mid-1530s to work on a building addition for Count Giangiorgio Trissino. It was under Trissino’s tutelage that Palladio acquired his name, an understanding of ancient and prevailing architecture through travel to Rome, and the social connections that led to commissions of many villas and several notable churches, among them San Giorgio Maggiore. Inspired by the attention to proportion of Vitruvius – a Roman architect and engineer in the first century B.C., and also the inspiration for Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man – Palladio created systematic designs to be integrated into the architecture of a building. These designs followed standardized formats that could be customized according to the owner’s preferences. In 1570, Palladio wrote I Quattro Libri dell' Architettura, The Four Books on Architecture, the most famous and influential books on architecture of all time, and still in print. Thomas Jefferson cited the books as “the Bible” on architecture and designed Monticello and other buildings using Palladio’s concepts.   In 1994, the city of Vicenza and its 23 Palladian Villas was named a World Heritage Site. In 2008, to celebrate Palladio’s quincentenary, Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio,in Vicenza, London’s Royal Academy of Arts, and the Royal Institute of British Architects sponsored a major exhibit of Palladio’s life and work. The exhibit traveled for one year from Vicenza to London to the United States. In New York, Palladio was the theme of Italian Heritage and Culture Month with a series of programs and events that celebrated his accomplishments. All About Palladio Palladio Museum [Vicenza, Italy] I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura [in Italian] The Villas of Palladio San Giorgio Maggiore [Photograph] Palladio’s Villas - UNESCO World Heritage Site Center for Palladian Studies in America Andrea Palladio- Renaissance Architecture

2022-23 List of Names

2023-24 List of Names