Italian House Plans
Italian style homes -- part of the more general Mediterranean style -- feature gently-pitched roofs with wide, overhanging eaves supported by large decorative brackets recalling the pediment shape of classical temples. The Italian style floor plan typically revolves around a circular staircase in a tall tower. Common Italianate features are the grouping of either straight or round-headed windows into threes or small arcades, and the placement of porches or arcaded loggias between the tower and house or at the corners. Italian "Villa Style" homes were first popularized in two books by theorist Alexander Jackson Downing -- Cottage Residences -- of 1842, and Architecture of Country Houses, of 1850. The style could be built with many different materials, from stucco to wood, and was easily adapted depending on the budget. New technologies of the Victorian Era made it possible to quickly and inexpensively produce cast-iron and press-metal decorations.
The Italian Villa style developed by architect Alexander Jackson Davis became popular during the mid-19th century and was promoted in pattern books by architectural theorist Andrew Jackson Downing. A famous Davis design you can visit - from 1846 -- is the national historic landmark Blandwood mansion in Greensboro, North Carolina (http://www.blandwood.org/blandwood.html)). Italy itself is of course the architectural source and for a quick glimpse of a current famous Italian example see George Clooney's Villa Oleandra and Villa Margherita on Lake Como.
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