Maser
Maser is a town in the Asolo hills, in the province of Treviso, famous worldwide for Villa Barbaro, one of Andrea Palladio's maste...
Updated 12 July 2026 · Sources: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/712/ · https://www.villadimaser.it/
The story
The story of Maser
Villa Barbaro, a Palladio masterpiece
Villa Barbaro was designed by Andrea Palladio in the mid-16th century for the brothers Daniele and Marcantonio Barbaro, prominent figures in the Venetian culture of the time. The building, with its central block flanked by two porticoed barchesse, is considered one of the most accomplished results of Palladian architecture applied to the country villa, able to unite residential and agricultural functions in a single harmonious design.
The frescoes by Paolo Veronese
The villa's interior is decorated with a fresco cycle by Paolo Veronese, unanimously regarded as one of the pinnacles of 16th-century Venetian painting. Mythological, allegorical and trompe-l'oeil architectural scenes follow one another through the rooms, creating illusionistic effects that expand the spaces and bind painting and architecture together inseparably, according to a unified design shared between the artist and Palladio himself.
A Unesco World Heritage Palladian villa
Villa Barbaro is part of the Unesco serial site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto, which since 1996 has recognised the universal value of Andrea Palladio's work, spread across numerous villas throughout the Veneto provinces. The designation places Maser within a network of architectural excellence that includes Vicenza and other towns in the region, celebrating the Palladian legacy as shared heritage.
The Tempietto Barbaro
A short distance from the villa stands the Tempietto Barbaro, a small centrally-planned church designed by Andrea Palladio as the Barbaro family chapel. The building, inspired by models of classical religious architecture, is considered one of Palladio's most mature and experimental works in the sacred sphere, and completes the monumental complex together with the villa and its agricultural outbuildings.
The winery and the Asolo hills
The Villa Barbaro estate still includes a working winery today, continuing the wine-growing tradition that has been tied to the Barbaro family's agricultural holding since its origins. The Asolo hills surrounding Maser, among the most harmonious in the Veneto hill country, are planted with vineyards and offer a landscape in which Renaissance architecture has been in dialogue with the work of the land for centuries.
Experiences not to miss
- Tour the interior of Villa Barbaro and admire Paolo Veronese's frescoes
- See the Tempietto Barbaro, the family chapel designed by Palladio
- Taste the wines from the estate's historic winery
- Drive the scenic roads of the Asolo hills toward Asolo
- Photograph the villa's barchesse and Italian-style garden
To see
What to see in Maser
Routes · Trovido Route
