The Douras had traveled widely, and after carefully studying the work of master architect Andrea Palladio, they knew they wanted their house to pay homage to those Renaissance villas of the Veneto -- part Villa Almerico and part Villa Foscari. But the land they owned did not sprawl across the Northern Italian countryside. It was a single city lot, almost square in shape, "so the house needed to be compact," said Portuondo, whose Miami firm Portuondo Perotti Architects is known for houses that evoke the many centuries of architectural history.

The house also needed to be very tall, with the first habitable floor some 15 feet above sea level to comply with floodplain requirements. To minimize this, Palm Beach landscape architects Jorge Sanchez and Phil Maddux of the firm Sanchez & Maddux devised an elegant solution -- a long, low staircase of French limestone and grass. The ascent is gradual, giving the building a more solid place in the landscape.

The Douras wanted a house with a timeless air, one that defied instant classification and that some years hence might have observers wondering just which decade it was from. The roof is copper. All the architectural details are stucco, and the windows are mahogany. The columns are real, serving a structural function. "They're traditional, engaged columns," says Portuondo. The granite walkways are composed of 18th-century stones that were once ballast on sailing ships.

As you face the house, limestone steps lead to the front door, which is flanked by six royal palms almost as tall and imposing as the house itself, along with a lavish procession of foxtail palms, pinwheel jasmine, Japanese boxwood borders, and potted calamondin trees.

Thus, the backyard is an outdoor room to be framed. At one end is a garden folly, which doubles as an outdoor kitchen and dining pavilion, and at the other, a tree-lined wall. The Douras collect tropical fruit trees, so instead of a more expected hedge, the property is defined by rows of mango trees.

The bay view is framed by sea grape trees, which, Sanchez points out, "hide the imperfections in the view," namely the more industrial aspects of the Port of Miami. "They force your eyes to the water and the sky," he says. They also give the space a sense of enclosure and act as a gateway to the boat dock. Beside the pool area is a lawn with irregular pieces of coquina set into the grass.

The back of the house is more open and informal, a counterpoint to the comparatively sober Italianate front façade. It consists of a two-story covered loggia with bougainvillea cascading down its sides and a thick, sturdy balustrade with arched openings below.

The upper loggia is outfitted with antique lanterns and centuries-old iron tables with weathered patinas. "We figured they'd been rusting for more than 200 years," says Portuondo, "so why stop now?"

The interiors of the house are just as atmospheric. Special attention was paid to architectural detailing, such as the groin-vaulted hallway ceiling, hand-plastered walls, and niches with scalloped Moorish arches.

The stairs of the foyer ascend three flights, culminating with panoramic views from the rooftop terrace where the Douras occasionally entertain, especially on New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July, when the fireworks can be seen in all directions. On more ordinary days, it is the subtle charms of the house itself that offer satisfaction, detail by intricate detail.