At a time of particular interest in Andrea Palladio's life and works, this book illustrates in detail the great cycle of his Venetian projects and completed masterpieces. The artistic career of one the most influential architects of the Western world is presented in relation to the last thirty years of his life, which were concentrated in large measure on his activity in the city of the Lagoon. His efforts to be accepted by the Venetian committenza, his initial defeats, the decisive friendship with the illustrious Barbaro brothers and, finally, the projects that culminated with the luminous monastic complex of San Giorgio Maggiore and the imposing church of the Redentore, are assessed not only as majestic expressions of Palladio's classical language; but also as architectural creations that needed to conform with the regulations imposed by the Counter-Reformation. This book was completed by the analysis of the Palladian opus I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura as well as a survey of major religious w