This coffee table book is a monumental work, which covers 80 of the most important villas in Veneto, the hinterland of Venice. These Villas were built by wealthy Venetian merchants about 500 years ago for the time when the summer heat in Venice made Italian merchants and gentlemen long for the fresh air of the country. For the ones in the know: many Villas were built by Andrea Palladio, the master architect from Vicenca. The photographer of the book, Paolo Marton, took 2 whole years to take the very best pictures of the different palaces, villas, country houses and mansions, and his effort has been worthwhile. The text gives readers the right background about how these beautiful residences came into being and why they are renovated and lived in by families such as the Benettons.