All aspects of Renaissance culture, from art and architecture to philosophy, were influenced and inspired by Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Generally, architecture in the Renaissance can be described as symmetrical, harmonious and sober. Many buildings that were built in the Renaissance are perfect symmetrical, if you would draw a line through the middle of the building, it would have two exact same halves. Because it is so symmetrical, it looks very harmonious and static. However, it often also looks authorative probably because of the use of pediments and columns which make it look like Grecian temples. Renaissance buildings are rarely very high or vertical in contrast to buildings in Gothic architecture. Furthermore, architecture in the Renaissance was very much about the details. On many buildings, you can see lintels, which are the things above the window and you can also often see small sculptures of men, women, gods or other important people. The most important characteristic of the Renaissance is that shapes from the Greek and Roman times were reused in new designs. Typical characteristics that returned in many designs are: columns, which are vertical pillars, pilasters, which is almost the same as a column except that a pilaster is connected to the wall sticking out and it is used as a decoration, vaults, which are arched roofs that support the weight of a roof, domes, which is a hollow sphere above a building and arches, which are structures that span a space while supporting weight, such as a doorway or window in a wall.
This is one example of a villa built in Renaissance style. The architect was Palladio, who designed the building in 1567. Palladio was asked to build a villa for Paolo Almerica, a high functionary of the Pope. Villa Almerica is better known as La Rotonda. It was used as a location for parties as well as a place to live in. It is made up of a cube centre part, where the