further restorations were made. Since 1996, it has been conserved as part of the World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto". The villa is at the centre of an extensive area that bears centuriation, or land divisions, and extends northward. The landscape of Fanzolo has a continuous history since Roman times and it has been suggested that the layout of the villa reflects the straight lines of the Roman roads. Architecture Villa Emo was a product of Palladio's later period of architecture. It is one of the most accomplished of the Palladian Villas, showing the benefit of 20 years of Palladio's experience in domestic architecture. It has been praised for the simple mathematical relationships expressed in its proportions, both in the elevation and the dimensions of the rooms. Palladio used mathematics to create the ideal villa. These “harmonic proportions” were a formulation of Palladio's design theory. He thought that the beauty of architecture was not in the use of orders and ornamentation, but in architecture devoid of ornamentation, which could still be a delight to the eye if aesthetically pleasing portions were incorporated. In 1570, Palladio published a plan of the villa in his treatise I quattro libri dell'architettura. Unlike some of the other plans he included in this work, the one of Villa Emo corresponds nearly exactly to what was built. His classical architecture has stood the test of time and designers still look to Palladio for inspiration. The layout of the villa and its estate is strategically placed along the pre-existing Roman grid plan. There is a long rectangular axis that runs across the estate in a north–south direction. The agricultural crop fields and tree groves were laid out and arranged along the long axis, as was the villa itself. The outer appearance of the Villa Emo is marked by a simple treatment of the entire body of the building, whose structure is determined by a geometrical rhythm. The construction consists of brick-work with a plaster finish, visible wooden beams seen in the spaces of the piano nobile, and coffered ceilings like that within the loggia. The central structure is an almost square residential area. The living quarters are raised above ground-level, as are all of Palladio's other villas. Instead of the usual staircase going up to the main front door, the building has a ramp with a gentle slope that is