He visited Rome, sketched its ancient buildings, wrote the story of its great monuments, and recorded, deciphered and explained many defaced inscriptions.

He stimulated the revival of classical learning by making transcriptions of ancient manuscripts, one of which, completed in 1492, he presented to Lorenzo de' Medici.

Giocondo soon returned to his native town where he built bridges and planned fortifications for Treviso, acting as architect engineer, and head-builder during the construction.

Giocondo's plan of altering the Brenta's bed and leading this river to the sea was accepted by the Venetians, and the undertaking was a complete success.

On Donato Bramante's death he was made part of a team with Raphael and Giuliano da Sangallo to superintend the erection of the new St. Peter's Basilica.

Giocondo was among the first to produce a corrected edition of De architectura by the classical Roman writer Vitruvius, a treatise that had a major influence on the development of Renaissance architecture.

[1] American composer Edwina Florence Wills used the text of the letter in her composition "Radiance and Glory" for voice, violin, cello, and piano.