Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville are the two major works of Thomas Jefferson (president, writer, architect), and outstanding examples of neoclassical architecture. He was inspired by Andrea Palladio's Four Books of Architecture and several trips to Europe.Monticello (1769-1809) is an example of a neoclassic villa rustica, based on a Roman design. The estate included a plantation for growing tobacco and corn, later replaced by the more lucrative wheat.