Belvedere - Definition and Overview

Belvedere in Italian literally means fair view.

It is used as a generic architectural term (see Belvedere (structure)), and has been used to name many things:

Specific buildings:

• The Belvedere a small garden casino near the Vatican Palace, Rome, connected to it by the Courtyard of the Belvedere (Cortile del Belvedere)
• Fort Belvedere in Florence, Italy
• Belvedere (palace) in Vienna
• Belvedere Palace in Warsaw, Poland
• Belvedere House and Gardens in Ireland
• Belvedere Plantation near Richmond, Virginia

Fictional buildings:

• M. C. Escher's famous 1958 lithograph, Belvedere

Places:

• Belvedere, California
• Belvedere, South Carolina
• Belvedere Park, Georgia
• Belvedere, London and Belvedere railway station

Other meanings:

• The Belvedere helicopter, designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (later Westland Aircraft)
• Mr. Belvedere, an American sitcom that aired from 1985 to 1990, based on the novel Belvedere, written by Gwen Davenport
• Belvedere Records
• Belvedere, a Canadian punk rock band founded in the late 1990's.