Guarino Guarini - architect

Baroque master who shaped the identity of Turin

Guarini's daring geometrics brought a
new dimension to the architecture of Turin

Guarino Guarini, an architect regarded as one of the most transformative figures in the architectural history of Turin, died on this day in 1683 at the age of 59.

Guarini enjoyed the patronage of the House of Savoy from 1666 until his death, during which time he is said to have built or submitted designs for as many as six churches and chapels and five palaces in the city. He reportedly designed a gate to replace the existing Porta di Pio, although it was never actually built.

Of those projects that progressed beyond the drawing board, his Church of San Lorenzo, with its structurally daring dome, the Chapel of the Holy Shroud and the Palazzo Carignano, notable for the rhythmic curves of its facade, are regarded as his most notable achievements.

The circumstances of Guarini’s death are not documented beyond his being in Milan at the time. His presence there may have been connected with his Architettura Civile, the treatise which became a reference point for many of his architectural successors, upon which he was still working at the time of his death. 

He also remained active in the Theatine Order - he was ordained a priest in 1648 at the age of 24 - and may have been in Milan to teach or to pursue other Theatine business, the order having a tradition of architectural patronage.

Guarini was born in Modena in 1624. Coming from a religious family, Guarino and his four brothers all became novices in the Theatine Order, Guarino being despatched to serve his novitiate at the monastery of San Silvestro al Quirinale in Rome.

In the event, he stayed in Rome for nine years, learning from the most innovative Baroque architects of the period. Francesco Borromini, whose spatial complexity and elastic geometry left a lasting imprint on Guarini’s imagination, was a major influence, as to a lesser degree was Gian Lorenzo Bernini. 

He returned to Modena in 1648. He combined his duties as a priest and  a lecturer in philosophy at the Theatine College with architectural projects for the Order, beginning with the reconstruction of the Church of San Vincenzo in Modena.

The undulating facade of Guarini's Palazzo Carignano,
a Baroque masterpiece in Savoyard Turin

Guarini also worked in Messina in Sicily, where he built the façade of the Church of Santa Maria Annunziata for his Order, providing early evidence of his willingness to experiment with design. He constructed the façade diagonally to the nave, so that it could conform with the line of the street. The church was destroyed in an earthquake but drawings show plans for complex vaulting and spatial layering. 

From Messina, Guarini moved to Paris, where a number of projects showed the influence of Borromini on his construction methods. Appointed a lecturer in theology at the Theatine School in Paris, he might have stayed much longer but for disagreements over the management of funding for the Church of Sainte-Anne-la-Royale, which he had been invited to design. Instead, he left for Turin.

It was in the capital of the Duchy of Savoy that Guarini produced his greatest work, his buildings there being defined by intricate geometries, interlaced ribs, and dramatic manipulation of light.

Among the most striking examples is the Real Chiesa di San Lorenzo, a Baroque-style church adjacent to the Royal Palace of Turin, which bears influences of Borromini and Bernini. In accordance with Guarini’s ambition ‘to erect buildings that were very strong, but looked so weak as to need a miracle to keep them standing,’ the dome of San Lorenzo was a masterpiece of spatial illusion, its structure appearing to be held up by slender columns, whereas the load-bearing was really down to massive brick arches hidden from view.  Its star-like pattern of interlocking arches dissolves the boundary between structure and ornament.

Guarini's beautiful cupola in Turin's Church of
San Lorenzo seemed to defy the laws of physics

The light that floods the interior creates a luminous quality, something also characteristic of the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, a building attached to the Royal Palace, a project started after Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy, impressed with his work on the Church of San Lorenzo, named him Royal Engineer and Mathematician in May 1668.

The chapel uses stacked, progressively narrowing arches to create a soaring vertical ascent, culminating in a lantern that floods the space with symbolic light. It remains one of the most technically daring domes of the Baroque.

Yet some regard the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, which showcased Guarini’s command of undulating façades and dynamic massing, anticipating styles that would become characteristic of later Baroque and Rococo. 

Built for Emmanuel Philibert, Prince of Carignano, heir to Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, it is regarded as one of the finest urban palaces of the second half of the 17th century in Italy.  In addition to its distinctive terracotta façade, the palace stands out for its atrium with double staircases and a double dome in the main salon. 

Guarini wrote prolifically throughout his career, producing treatises on  mathematics and astronomy as well as architecture.  He published books at the rate of one every other year and his major work, Architettura Civile, was published posthumously in 1737, bringing together previously unpublished manuscripts on architecture, surveying and drawing. 

Filippo Juvarra built
on Guarini's legacy

This text circulated widely in 18th‑century Europe and became a key reference for architects seeking alternatives to classical orthodoxy. Guarini’s influence can be seen particularly in the Central European Baroque styles that became prevalent in Bohemia, Austria and southern Germany. 

Nearer to home, Piedmontese architects such as Filippo Juvarra, responsible for the monumental Basilica of Superga and the Palazzo Madama among other great works, and later Bernardo Vittone, who built some of the finest churches not only in Turin but across the whole region,  absorbed and expanded Guarino’s geometric daring.

Guarini sits in a remarkably elevated position among the architects who shaped Turin. The buildings he created can be said to have fundamentally altered the city’s architectural language.

Where Amedeo di Castellamonte planned many of the Savoy projects, giving Turin its ordered urban structure, Guarini reimagined them, introducing spatial complexity and daring geometry.  Juvarra admired Guarini’s work and built on his legacy, while taking fewer risks, yet Vittone’s domes and lanterns would have been unthinkable without Guarini’s precedent.

The Palazzo Madama, designed by Filippo Juvara,
can be found on Turin's Piazza Castello

Travel tip:

Turin became the capital of the House of Savoy in 1562, when Duke Emmanuel‑Philibert transferred his ducal seat from Chambéry to Turin. This move marks the beginning of Turin’s transformation from a provincial stronghold into a consciously designed capital city.  Much of the architecture of Turin illustrates its rich history as the home of the Savoy Kings. In the centre of the city, Piazza Castello, with the royal palace, royal library, and Filippo Juvarra’s Palazzo Madama, which used to be where the Italian senate met, showcases some of the finest buildings in ‘royal’ Turin, including the Palazzo Reale, to which Juvarra and Amedeo di Castellamonte both contributed, and the Teatro Regio, built to Juvarra’s plans after his death. Some members of the House of Savoy are buried in Turin’s Duomo in Piazza San Giovanni, built by Amedeo de Francisco di Settignano. Guarini’s adjoining chapel, of course, is famous for being the home of the Turin shroud, which many people believe was the actual burial shroud of Jesus Christ.  At the centre of the historic city, Piazza Castello is a hub that connects Via Po, Via Roma and Via Garibaldi.

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Luigi Bartolomeo Avanzini's huge Ducal Palace,
built as a home for the Este Dukes of Modena

Travel tip:

Modena, where Guarino Guarini was born, is a city on the south side of the Po Valley in the Emilia-Romagna region.  It is known for its car industry, because Ferrari, De Tomaso, Lamborghini, Pagani and Maserati have all been located there.. One of the main sights in Modena is the huge, Baroque Ducal Palace, begun by Francesco I on the site of a former castle in 1635. His architect, Luigi Bartolomeo Avanzini, created a home for him that few European princes could match at the time. In the Galleria Estense, on the upper floor of the Palazzo dei Musei in Modena, is a one-metre high bust of Francesco I d’Este, Duke of Modena, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.  The Cathedral of Modena and its bell tower, Torre della Ghirlandina, are both UNESCO World heritage sites. The tower stands more than 89 metres (292ft) tall and can be seen outside the city from all directions. Inside, there is the Sala della Secchia room, which has 15th century frescoes, and the tower also houses a copy of the oaken bucket, from the War of the Bucket referred to by Tassoni in his poem, which was fought between Modena and Bologna in 1325. The statue of Alessandro Tassoni, which stands at the foot of the tower, was sculpted by Antonio Cavazza and erected in 1860. Modena is also well known for its balsamic vinegar, while operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti and soprano Mirella Freni were both born in the city.

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More reading:

Filippo Juvarra, the architect behind the magnificent Basilica of Superga

Carlo Mollino, Turin’s 20th century ‘Renaissance man’

Alessandro Antonelli, the creator of Turin’s striking Mole Antonelliana, the tallest unreinforced brick building in the world

Also on this day:

1483: The birth of writer and diplomat Francesco Guicciardini

1779: The birth of Papal executioner Giovanni Battista Bugatti 

1853: The premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La traviata

1933: The birth of Augusto Odone, who invented ‘Lorenzo’s Oil’ for sick son

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Giovanni Antonio Medrano - architect and engineer

Designed Teatro di San Carlo and Palace of Capodimonte in Naples

Medrano revolutionised theatre design with his
horseshoe-shaped auditorium at Teatro di San Carlo

The architect and engineer Giovanni Antonio Medrano, who left a lasting mark on Naples by designing the Teatro di San Carlo and the Royal Palace at Capodimonte while in the service of the Bourbon king Charles VII - later Charles III of Spain - was born on this day in 1703 in Sciacca, a town on the southwestern coast of Sicily.

Teatro di San Carlo, which is recognised as the oldest continuously active opera house in the world, set new standards for European theatre design with Medrano’s horseshoe-shaped layout and attention to acoustics.

His design became known as the Italian-style theatre model and was taken up by architects around the world as the gold standard for new projects. The San Carlo became a symbol of Bourbon prestige and remains one of his most enduring legacies.

Medrano, born into a noble Sicilian-Spanish family, was stationed in Naples as a military engineer and brigadier having taken part in the Spanish military campaign to conquer Naples in 1734. This campaign was part of the War of the Polish Succession, which had broadened into a wider conflict after the Bourbons used it as a pretext to attack Austrian territories in southern Italy and Sicily.

When the Spanish prince Don Carlos de Borbón became Charles VII of Naples in 1735, he appointed Medrano - his former tutor in the court of his father, Philip V of Spain - as his court architect, with a brief to design and oversee major royal projects that symbolised Bourbon authority and magnificence.

One of his first projects was to renovate the Royal Palace that adjoins the Piazza del Plebiscito, designed by Domenico Fontana and built between 1600 and 1614 on behalf of the Bourbon king Philip III. Medrano’s work was mainly focussed on readying the royal apartments ahead of the new king’s marriage to Maria Amalia of Saxony.

Medrano's Teatro di San Carlo, as it appeared in
a painting of the centre of Naples in around 1830

The project to construct a theatre connected to the palace essentially followed on from that after Charles VII decided he wanted to replace the Teatro San Bartolomeo, which had been the city’s main theatre since 1621, with something much bigger and which would reflect the growing status of Naples as a centre for opera. 

The Real Teatro di San Carlo was built in just eight months, partially helped by Medrano’s use of wood rather than stone in the internal construction. This choice was initially controversial, as traditionalists favoured stone or marble, symbols of permanence and royal prestige, but Medrano argued that wood reflects and diffuses sound more evenly than stone, giving rise to a clearer, warmer tone.

What set the Teatro di San Carlo apart, though, was Medrano’s horseshoe-shaped layout with its six tiers of boxes. Unlike previous theatre designs, which were either based on the semi-circular footprint of Roman auditoriums, or rectangular layouts similar to medieval banqueting halls, Medrano’s design wrapped the audience around the stage, enhancing the acoustics and allowing almost all spectators a view of the performers.

After the Teatro di San Carlo was inaugurated in November 1737, with a performance of Domenico Sarro's opera Achille in Sciro, the horseshoe design became the standard for new theatres in Europe and around the world.

Medrano’s wide architectural legacy includes the Royal Palace of Portici, built between 1737 and 1738 as a summer residence for the royal family, with views over the Bay of Naples. 

Medrano also designed and built the Royal Palace
of Portici, a summer residence overlooking the sea

The palace later became central to the excavations of Herculaneum, the Roman city that had been buried by the same volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii in 79AD. The existence of ruins beneath the planned site of the palace was already known, marble having been discovered during the sinking of a well in 1709, but after more remains were revealed as the foundations were dug for the palace, Charles VII ordered more organised excavations, which Medrano oversaw.

The vast Reggia di Capodimonte, which Charles commissioned in 1738 after deciding the Portici palace was too small, was also designed by Medrano. Work began under Medrano’s direction but took over a century to complete, finishing in 1840.

Other projects attributed to Medrano include the Di Torcini bridge, which crossed the Volturno river at Venafro, north of Naples, and the Obelisk of Bitonto, which commemorates the decisive Bourbon victory over the Habsburg army at the town of the same name, near Bari in Puglia. 

Despite his successes, Medrano’s career was marred by controversy. In 1741, he and his associate Angelo Carasale were accused of fraud in tax dealings related to Capodimonte’s construction. The long trail was a contributing factor in delaying the work at Capodimonte.

The charges led to an 18-month jail sentence, after which Medrano was dismissed from his position at the court and exiled. Though he eventually returned to Naples, in 1746, and carried out renovations at the Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, a church on via Portamedina in the centre of Naples, his reputation never fully recovered.

After the inauguration of the choir in the church in 1754, there is no record of Medrano being active professionally again. He died in 1760, at the age of 56. 

The Reggia di Capodimonte, another Bourbon palace,
now houses a major museum of Italian art

Travel tip:

The Reggia di Capodimonte, which Charles VII commissioned to house both his expanding court and the vast Farnese art collection, which he had inherited from his mother, Elisabetta Farnese, is a grand Bourbon royal palace a few kilometres from the centre of Naples.  Adjoining an area of woodland now known as the Real Bosco di Capodimonte, it was originally intended to be a hunting lodge but evolved as a replacement for the Reggia di Portici.  Its location was chosen because its elevated position - capo di monte literally means ‘top of the hill’ - promised an escape from the heat of the city. Although it has subsequently become part of greater Naples, at the time of its construction it was surrounded by parkland. Nowadays, the main building is home to the National Museum of Capodimonte, which showcases major works by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Giovanni Bellini, Masaccio, Lorenzo Lotto and many others, as well as the best collection of paintings from the distinct tradition of Neapolitan art, and many works of monumental sculpture from the Farnese Collection.

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Some parts of Herculaneum are
extraordinarily well preserved

Travel tip:

Until 1969, the town now called Ercolano was known as Resina, the name given to the medieval settlement that was built on top of the volcanic material left by the eruption of Vesuvius that also destroyed nearby Pompeii.  The existence of Ercolano - the Roman city of Herculaneum - was not known until the early 18th century, when a farmer sinking a well came across ancient marble columns which, it transpired, were part of an ancient theatre.  Systematic exploration followed under the patronage of Charles VII, the Bourbon king of Naples, from the 1730s to the 1760s.  Charles was more concerned with treasure-hunting than archaeology, but under Giovanni Antonio Medrano’s supervision statues and frescoes were uncovered as well as the famous Villa of the Papyri, with its extraordinary library of carbonized papyrus scrolls. Ercolano was smaller and less prestigious than Pompeii but is better preserved due to the different volcanic materials that covered the town, although its more famous neighbour was a bigger city and its destruction was particularly well documented.  The ruins at Pompeii and Ercolano can both be reached by using the Circumvesuviana railway, which runs from Naples along the southern stretch of the Bay of Naples, terminating at Sorrento.

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More reading

The Vesuvius eruption that buried Pompeii

The emperor who came to the aid of the victims

The 19th century archaeologist who saved the relics

Also on this day:

1475: The birth of Pope Leo X

1912: The birth of film producer Carlo Ponti

1944: The birth of veteran pop star Gianni Morandi

1968: The birth of footballer Fabrizio Ravanelli

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Angelo Italia - architect

The Chiesa Madre in Palma di Montechiaro
  had similarities with Noto cathedral 

Friar who advanced development of Sicilian Baroque

The architect and Jesuit friar Angelo Italia, who was an important protagonist in the development of Sicilian Baroque as an architectural style, was born on this day in 1628 in Licata, a town on the southern coast of Sicily, about 45km (28 miles) east of Agrigento. 

In later life, Italia was one of the architects commissioned to work on the rebuilding of cities in the south-eastern corner of the island, following the devastating earthquake of 1693. 

He was particularly influential in the design of the reconstructed cities of Avola and Noto, where the beauty of the architecture still attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

Individual buildings attributed to Italia include the Chiesa di San Francesco Saverio in Palermo, the Chapel of the Crucifix in the cathedral at Monreale, and the Chiesa Madre Maria Santissima del Rosario in Palma di Montechiaro, not far from Licata, with a facade flanked by two bell towers, at the top of a long, scenic staircase, similar to that which characterises the impressive cathedral in Noto.

He became a Jesuit friar in 1671 and resided in the Jesuit College in Palermo, where he died in 1700 a few days before what would have been his 72nd birthday.

Italia’s background is not documented with certainty but his father, Francesco, is thought to have been a master bricklayer and contractor in Licata, where Angelo likely began his career as a stonemason before beginning to take on design projects.

The design of the church of San Francesco Saverio
in Palermo is attributed to Angelo Italia 

Much of his work was influenced by where his Jesuit calling took him. For example, he spent his novitiate in Messina, between 1671 and 1672, which probably explains why his work was heavily influenced by that of Guarino Guarini, an architect from Modena who is remembered as one of the most important exponents of Piedmontese Baroque, but who spent several years in Messina and designed a number of notable buildings.

Some architectural historians believe elements of Italia’s work point to him having spent some time in Rome, suggesting detailed knowledge of the works of Francesco Borromini and Girolamo Rinaldi, who were both contemporaries, can only have been acquired by having travelled to the city, although no evidence has been uncovered that he did.

Before he joined the Jesuit order, Italia is thought to have worked primarily with his father around Licata. Stylistic elements of the church of Sant'Angelo Carmelitano in Licata, especially the facade, suggests that this may have been his debut project in around 1653.

After he entered the order, he would primarily have worked in the service of the order, as was customary. His projects in Palermo at that time included the churches of San Francesco Saverio and Del Gesù, the second of which was destroyed in World War Two.

The cathedral at Noto, where Italia was
closely involved in reconstruction work

It is thought that he subsequently moved to various locations in Sicily, at the request of local Jesuit headquarters, including in Mazzara, Mazzarino and Polizzi. He also accepted a commission from Carlo Carafa Branciforte, Prince of Butera, for the construction of the church of Santa Maria della Neve in Mazzarino .

After the earthquake of 1693 that flattened large areas of south-eastern Sicily, destroying or severely damaging at least 70 towns and cities, including Catania, Siracusa, Noto and Acireale, Italia was among many architects called upon to assist in the reconstruction.  Italia worked primarily in Avola, Lentini and Carlentini, and Noto.

In Avola, while he left the building work to others, Italia designed a grid of streets within a hexagonal square, with walls, bastions and moats, although these no longer exist. He also moved to city from its original location to a flat area nearer to the sea.

His designs for Lentini and Carlentini, two neighbouring towns between Catania and Siracusa, also involved relocating the towns from their original sites. The relocation was rejected and although new urban areas were built on the original sites, the expense involved dwarfed Italia’s original plan.

Italia’s involvement in the Noto project is unclear, with other architects and engineers given credit for different elements, but it seems to be accepted that moving the city from its original location to another 8km (5 miles) away was Italia’s suggestion, as was following an urban plan based on Palma di Montechiaro. 

Sandy beaches and rocky coves are a feature of
the coastline around Licata 

Travel tip:

Licata, where Angelo Italia was born, is a seaside resort and an important port situated on the southern coast of Sicily between  Agrigento and Gela. Some 20km of seafront, a mix of sand and pebble beaches and reefs to the west, is a major pull for tourists but the town also has much history, having been at times under the control of the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Saracens, the Normans, the Turks, the Spanish and the French. Current attractions include the Castel Sant’Angelo, built by the Spanish, and the remains of an ancient Greek acropolis. The main church is Santa Maria La Nova, built in the 15th century, and there are several interesting Liberty-style buildings including the Palazzo di Città, designed by Ernesto Basile, the Teatro Re Grillo and the Parco delle Ville Liberty.

The Castello di Montechiaro is now a sanctuary
dedicated to the Madonna del Castello

Travel tip:

Built on a hill overlooking a valley, which stretches down to the sea, Palma di Montechiaro enjoyed some fame as a fiefdom of Donnafugata in the novel The Leopard. The village is renowned for its mother church, Chiesa Madre Maria Santissima del Rosario in Palma di Montechiaro, which Italia designed and is considered to be among the most iconic examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture. Also notable are the Ducal Palace, a Benedictine Monastery and the Castello di Montechiaro, now a sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna del Castello, and Torre San Carlo, a four-sided tower on a base shaped like a truncated pyramid.   The Chiesa Madre, designed by Angelo Italia, bears many similarities with the cathedral at Noto, which was part of Italia’s plans for the reconstruction of that city after the earthquake of 1693.

Also on this day:

1587: The birth of Victor Amadeus I of Savoy

1639: The birth of painter Giovanni Battista Gaulli

1898: Italy’s first football championship

1960: The birth of footballer Franco Baresi

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Alessandro Antonelli – Architect

The creator of Turin’s striking Mole 

Turin at dusk, with the Alps in the background and
Antonelli's Mole towering above the skyline

Alessandro Antonelli, who became famous for designing what has become Turin’s most iconic building, died on this day in 1888 in the Piedmont capital.

Antonelli was the architect of the Mole Antonelliana, which was named after him. The Mole now houses the National Museum of Cinema. At 167.5 metres (550ft), it remains the tallest unreinforced brick building in the world, and is believed to be the tallest of any construction to house a museum.

Mole is an Italian word that is used to describe a building of monumental proportions. Turin’s impressive Mole is represented on the obverse side of the Italian two euro cents coin, which is the side that displays the nationality of the country that has issued the coin.

Antonelli was born in Ghemme, a town near Novara in Piedmont, in 1798. His father was a notary and he was one of 11 children. He studied architecture in Milan and Turin before taking a job in the state territorial planning offices. But after winning an architecture competition he moved to Rome in 1828 to study geometry.

Antonelli was renowned for the
ambitious nature of his projects

He developed a functional ideal of architecture, which inspired him to draw up an ambitious plan for the renovation of Turin’s historical centre.

Antonelli returned to his native city in 1836 and became a professor at the Albertina Academy, which was an institute of higher education in Turin. He also became a deputy in the Kingdom of Sardinia’s parliament and served as a councillor in both Turin and Novara.

Among the many villas, churches, and public buildings Antonelli designed during his career, he is particularly remembered for Novara Cathedral. ll Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, or Duomo di Novara, was designed in neoclassical style by Antonelli and was built between 1863 and 1869 to replace the original 11th century church that had previously occupied the site. The cathedral incorporated the original mosaic floor of the presbytery and a chapel dedicated to Saint Syrus from the structure that preceded it. 

Antonelli also designed the dome of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio in Novara, a 75m (246ft) structure which brought the total height of the basilica to 121m (397ft), dwarfing the adjoining campanile, built earlier to designs by Benedetto Alfieri.  It was a highly ambitious project that had to be modified and reinforced to stop it collapsing under its own weight, yet it survived and dominates the Novara skyline as the Mole does in Turin.

The Orphan’s Hospice at Alessandria, a villa at Romagnana Sesia, and churches in Bellinzago Novarese and Borgo Lavezzarro are other buildings designed by Antonelli.

However, Antonelli’s most famous work was undoubtedly the 167.5m (550ft) Mole Antonelliano, which has become the symbol of the city of Turin. 

The cupola of the Basilica of San
Gaudenzio in Novara

It was begun in 1863 as a Jewish synagogue and was not finished until after Antonelli had died, construction having been halted in 1876 because Antonelli’s frequent modifications meant that costs had risen well beyond his original estimates and the Jewish community decided they could no longer afford to fund the project.

It was completed after the city’s municipal authorities agreed to finance the remaining work, compensating the Jewish community by building another synagogue elsewhere.

Work was finished in 1897 with the exception of the statue of a winged angel with which Antonelli planned to top the spire. This was added after his death but has since been replaced after the original was twice dislodged by storms.

From 1908 until 1938, the Mole housed the city’s Museum of the Risorgimento. Although the uppermost part of the spire was destroyed during a burst of violent weather in 1953, it was rebuilt in 1961, according to Antonelli’s original drawings. The building has been home to the Museo Nazionale del Cinema since 2000.

Following Antonelli’s death in 1888, his body was taken to Maggiora in the province of Novara to be buried in his family’s tomb.

Ghemme DOCG
is a renowned wine

Travel tip:

Ghemme, where Antonelli was born, is a town of just over 3,000 inhabitants in the province of Novara situated on the River Sesia, about 80 km (50 miles) north east of Turin and about 25 km (16 miles) north west of Novara. The small town’s main attraction is the Ricetto Castle, which dates back to the 11th century.  It was there in 1467 that a peace treaty was signed between the Duchy of Milan and Duchy of Savoy, ending several years of conflict. The the town is also famous for its red wine, Ghemme DOCG, which is produced in the surrounding Colli Novaresi. Ghemme’s wine was awarded DOC status in 1969 and was classified DOCG in 1997. The wine is made primarily from the Nebbiolo grape and it has to be aged for at least three years. Ghemme is also synonymous with the production of honey, being home to more than 600 bee hives. The town's acacia honey is regarded as one of the finest honeys produced in all of Italy.

The facade of the Palazzo Madama was designed,
like the Basilica di Superga, by Filippo Juvarra

Travel tip:

Much of the architecture of Turin illustrates its rich history as the home of the Savoy Kings of Italy. In the centre of the city, Piazza Castello, with the royal palace, royal library, and Palazzo Madama, which used to be where the Italian senate met, showcases some of the finest buildings in ‘royal’ Turin. Some members of the House of Savoy are buried in Turin’s Duomo in Piazza San Giovanni, which is also famous for being the home of the Turin shroud. Many people believe that the cloth now preserved in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud was the actual burial shroud of Jesus Christ. As well as the Mole Antonelliana, Turin is home to another architectural wonder in the Filippo Juvarra's magnificent Basilica di Superga, which sits on a hill above the city topped by another colossal dome, rising to 75m (246 feet). 

Also on this day:

1634: The birth of painter Luca Giordano

1833: The birth of entrepreneur Cristoforo Benigno Crespi

1933: The birth of racing driver Ludovico Scarfiotti

1969: Caravaggio masterpiece stolen in Palermo

Feast Day of Luke the Evangelist

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Francesco Borromini - architect

Rival of Bernini and Da Cortona was pioneer of Roman Baroque

The undulating facade of the church
of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

The architect Francesco Borromini, who was a pivotal figure alongside Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona in the development of the Roman Baroque style in the 17th century, was born on this day in 1599 in the village of Bissone, now in Switzerland but at that time part of the Duchy of Lombardy.

Borromini, who was born Francesco Castelli, gained widespread recognition for his innovative design of the small San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane church on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, which was his first independent commission and is regarded by some historians as one of the starting points for Italian Baroque.

His other major works include the church of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, which was part of Rome’s Sapienza University, the Re Magi Chapel, the Palazzo Spada and the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte.

As Francesco Castelli, he began his career as a stonemason, following in the footsteps of his father, Giovanni, who was in the service of the noble Visconti Borromeo family. He began his apprenticeship in the trade at just nine years old, moving to Milan even though he was still a boy. His father believed he would gain more practical experience there and it is thought he cut some of the stone used in the building of Milan Cathedral’s magnificent Gothic facade.

By 1619 he had moved to Rome, where he began working for Carlo Maderno, his uncle. He became involved in the construction of St. Peter's Basilica and the Palazzo Barberini. 

When Maderno died in 1629, he and Pietro da Cortona continued to work on the palace under the direction of Bernini. The smaller of two staircases flanking the main hall in the Palazzo was built to Castelli’s design. 

Borromini left his home to work in
Milan and then Rome while still a boy 

He decided to change his name to Borromini once he had become established in Rome. It is not known exactly why he chose to be Borromini, but it may have been because of his family’s connections with the Borromeo family, or because he had been in Milan when Carlo (Charles) Borromeo, the former Archbishop of Milan who had died in 1584, was made a saint. 

Borromini’s relationship with Da Cortona was stormy at times, while his tendency to be stubborn and easily angered led to clashes with Bernini, whom he is said to have resented for not passing on more of the huge commissions he was able to secure for his work, although some accounts say Bernini paid him handsomely. 

The two also had fundamental differences in their approach to design. Bernini, in line with convention, argued that the proportions of buildings should be derived from those of the body of man and woman, while Borromini based his buildings on geometric configurations. 

While working with Bernini at St Peter’s to execute Maderno's design for a monumental bronze canopy above the tomb of St Peter, Borromini began to seek patronage as an independent architect and set up on his own in 1633.

His first significant independent commission, in 1634, was for the church and monastery of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, built for the Spanish Trinitarians, at the corner of Via del Quirinale and Via delle Quattro Fontane in the centre of Rome. With its undulating facade, alternating between convex and concave curves, and an oval dome, the church served to announce the theatrical Baroque style that would become Borromini’s trademark.

Borromini's oval spiral staircase at
the Palazzo Barberini in Rome

Borromini’s works are generally characterised by their inventive use of geometry, dynamic forms, and the masterful manipulation of light and space, embracing bold curves and complex structures that have left a lasting impact on the world of architecture.

His use of light and space was particularly noteworthy in the characteristics of the church of Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza and of the Re Magi Chapel, while the Palazzo Spada is famous for its Galleria Prospettica - Perspective Gallery - which creates an optical illusion that makes a corridor appear much longer than it actually is.

His elegant juxtaposing of concave and convex curves can also be seen on the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone in Piazza Navona and the Oratorio dei Filippini, adjacent to the nearby Chiesa Nuova.

In the 1660s, Borromini’s fortunes declined. He was increasingly frustrated by the fame and success of his rival, Bernini, and succumbed to bouts of depression. He found relief by spending time in Lombardy, away from the sources of his irritation, but when he returned to Rome his melancholy also returned. 

Eventually, during one tormented, sleepless night in the summer of 1667 he took his own life, literally by falling on a sword he had propped up against the side of his bed, blade upright. In his testament, he requested that he be buried in the tomb of his teacher, Carlo Maderno, in San Giovanni dei Fiorentini.

He had added a condition that his name should not be on the tomb, which was observed until 1955, when the Swiss embassy in Rome commissioned a marble commemorative plaque to be placed on a pillar next to the tomb.

Bissone, Borromini's place of birth, occupies a
position on the shore of Lake Lugano

Travel tip:

Bissone, where Borromini was born, is a pretty village located on the shore of Lake Lugano, nowadays falling within the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Part of the Lugano metropolitan area, it has a population of around 1,100. The village’s history dates back at least to the eighth century, when it appeared on maps as Blixuni and was home to a Lombard garrison. During the Middle Ages, at the site of today's Casa Tencalla, a castle was built. It occupied a strategic position and Bissone became the centre of the Ghibellines' resistance during the 12th century dispute between Milan and Como. Much later, following the French invasion in 1798 and the end of the Old Swiss Confederacy, it became a stronghold of supporters of the Cisalpine Republic. The local economy used to be based on fishing and the income generated by providing ferries across the lake, although that was ended by the construction of rail and road links. Nowadays, Bissone relies on tourism and the production of high-quality cheeses, wine, and chocolate. 

Rome's Palazzo Quirinale, which since 1946 has
been the official residence of Italy's President

Travel tip:

The Quirinale neighbourhood is located on one of Rome's seven hills. As well as being home to Borromini’s masterpiece, the church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, the area also contains the Palazzo Quirinale, designed by Ottaviano Mascherino in the 16th century and since 1946 the official residence of the President of Italy, having previously been home to monarchs and popes. Just a short walk from the Palazzo Quirinale are the iconic Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's most famous landmarks, the ruins of the Baths of Constantine, the last great thermal complex built in imperial Rome, and the Piazza and Palazzo Barberini, built by Bernini and Maderno.  Also in the neighbourhood is Bernini’s church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, which is regarded as one of the most elegant examples of Baroque architecture in the city. 

Also on this day:

1733: The birth of biologist Agostino Bassi

1930: The birth of fashion designer Nino Cerruti

1955: The birth of singer-songwriter Zucchero

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Latina - Fascist architectural showcase

First stone laid in city that rose from a swamp

Crowds gather in front of the Torre Civica
for the inauguration of the new city

The project to build the new city of Latina in Lazio began with the laying of the first foundation stone on this day in 1932.

Originally called Littoria, a name derived from the fascio littorio, an ancient Roman symbol of power adopted by Benito Mussolini, Latina was built on land that was previously part of the virtually uninhabitable Pontine Marshes, south of Rome.

The Pontine Marshes was a vast swampland that had covered an area of more than 180 square miles (446 sq km) between the Volscian Mountains, the Alban Hills and the Tyrrhenian Sea for more than two thousand years. 

The area was totally infested with malaria-carrying mosquitoes, whose presence made the disease so rife that anyone who visited the area was almost certain to catch it.

The northern extremities of the Marshes were little more than 70km (42 miles) from the capital and frequent outbreaks of malaria in Rome in the early 1930s forced the Fascist government to take action and implement a plan to drain the area, reclaim it as productive agricultural land and build new cities.

An aerial view of the city during the early stages of
construction, with Piazza del Popolo the centrepiece

They recruited an army of workers to clear scrubland, build canals, dykes and pumping stations, and build new cities, with Latina the showpiece. Conditions were grim for the workers involved in the project, and many quit soon after starting, yet others were brought in to take their place and the project was completed remarkably quickly.

Latina was built to a design commissioned from the Roman architect Oriolo Frezzotti. Architects and urban designers such as Marcello Piacentini, Angiolo Mazzoni and Duilio Cambellotti contributed to the creation of a modern city with broad thoroughfares, wide squares, and monumental buildings, mainly built along rationalist, neo-classical lines.

The city’s inauguration took place in December, 1932. Notable buildings constructed in the 1930s include the Cattedrale di San Marco, the Palazzo del Municipio with its 32m (105ft) Torre Civico overlooking the Piazza del Popolo, the Palazzo M in Corso della Republic - built in the shape of the letter ‘M’ after Mussolini - and the fountain in Piazza Libertà.

The first inhabitants were farmers from the north of Italy, mainly from Veneto and Friuli, who were promised land, houses and livestock in return for agreeing to relocate. Some 2,000 families had settled in Littoria by the time building work was completed in 1935.

Latina's duomo, the Cattedrale di
San Marco, which was built in 1932

Given that the surrounding area was transformed from a inhospitable boggy wasteland to one of the most productive areas of agricultural territory in Italy, and its mosquito population vastly reduced, the project was undeniably a success, which Mussolini’s propaganda machine was only too keen to exploit.

Nonetheless, after World War Two and the fall of Fascism, Littoria was renamed Latina. Although the fascio littorio - an axe enclosed within a  bundle of wooden sticks tied together with leather strips - had its roots in ancient Rome, its adoption by Mussolini somewhat tarnished its history.

The word fascio became part of the language of Italian politics in the late 19th century, when it was normally applied to radical, social-revolutionary groups, the bundle symbolising unity. Mussolini’s Fasci italiani di combattimento evolved into the National Fascist Party.

Nowadays, Latina is a city of more than 120,000 inhabitants, making it the second largest city in Lazio after Rome itself.

It has a modern economy based on pharmaceutical, chemical and cheese exports. Yet the town's Fascist past is still perfectly preserved and the fascio littorio is displayed in many architectural features.

The Opera Nazionale Combattenti building, which
now houses a museum of the area's history

Travel tip:

The historic headquarters of the Opera Nazionale Combattenti, the body that was responsible for the reclamation of the Pontine countryside,  located in Piazza del Quadrato in Latina, now houses a museum, the Museo della Terra Pontina. The museum traces the history of the Agro Pontino - the Pontine Plain - in the 20th century and displays around 1,000 artefacts. The building, built in 1932 in common with the rest of ​​the piazza, was one of the first creations in Littoria by the architect Oriolo Frezzotti. Some of the rooms in the museum are set out as they would have been in a typical farmhouse occupied by the settlers from northern Italy who helped to turn the reclaimed land into a thriving agricultural area.

The Fontana del Grano in
Piazza della Libertà

Travel tip:

Latina’s Piazza della Libertà is a good example of the wide squares characteristic of the look Mussolini's architects were trying to achieve in the new city. It features a fountain in the centre of the square, characterized by a double system of basins, surmounted by a bundle of ears of corn, which serves as a symbol of the redemption of the Agro Pontino and the victory of the reclamation of the marshlands.  Around the square are Carabinieri Barracks, built in 1932 and remodelled in the 1970s and 1980s, and various office buildings in the rationalist style, housing branches of the Compagnia Assicuratrice Milano and of the Riunione Adriatica Sicurtà, complete with Venetian lion, plus the Istituto Nazionales delle Assicurazione (INA) building and the former seat of the Bank of Italy.

Also on this day:

First Martyrs’ Day

1916: The birth of actor Mario Carotenuto

1961: The birth of novelist Gianrico Carofiglio

1986: The birth of heiress Allegra Versace

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Baccio d’Agnolo - architect and woodcarver

Florentine who influenced the look of his home city

Baccio d'Agnolo was a significant
influence on Florentine architecture

The woodcarver, sculptor and architect Baccio D'Agnolo, whose work significantly influenced the architectural landscape of his home city in the Renaissance period, was born in Florence on this day in 1462.

His birth name was Bartolomeo Baglioni but he came to be referred to as d’Agnolo in a reference to the name of his father, Angelo, while Baccio was a popular short form for Bartolomeo. His father was also a woodcarver, which explains the direction of his early career.

Between 1491 and 1502, Baccio executed much of the decorative carving in the church of Santa Maria Novella and the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence before turning to architecture. 

He worked alongside Simone del Pollaiolo in restoring the Palazzo Vecchio, and in 1506 was commissioned to complete the drum of the cupola of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, although the project was ultimately abandoned after criticism from Michelangelo.

Among the notable buildings attributed to Baccio d’Agnolo are the Palazzo Borgherini-Rosselli del Turco and the Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni, while his design for the campanile of the church of Santo Spirito has also been praised.

Baccio had five children, three of whom - Giuliano, Filippo and Domenico - also became architects. 

It was through studying the best work of contemporaries such as Bernardo della Cecca, Giuliano da Maiano and Francione that he acquired such a high level of skill in working with wood.

An example of Baccio d'Agnolo's
early work with wood carving

The art historian Giorgio Vasari, who was a contemporary of so many of the great names of the Renaissance and was a talented architect in his own right, described Baccio as unsurpassed in the art of working wood. At the height of his fame, Baccio’s workshop became a meeting place for the most famous artists of the time, such as Michelangelo Buonarrotti, Raphael, del Pollaiolo, Giuliano and Antono da Sangallo the Elder, and Benedetto da Maiano. 

Many of Baccio’s original wood works were lost. The best remaining evidence of his carpentry is the choir of the church of Santa Maria Novella and the 16th-century choir of the church of Sant'Agostino in Perugia, on which his sons are said to have collaborated.

In a second period of his life, Baccio dedicated himself almost exclusively to architecture. He collaborated with Del Pollaiolo and Antonio da Sangallo the Elder on the construction of the Great Hall in the Palazzo della Signoria.

He established himself as an architect in his own right in 1503-04, building the Palazzo Taddei in Via dei Ginori, which was influenced by Del Pollaiolo’s Palazzo Guadagni and became a template for the typical noble Florentine residence of the first half of the 16th century. 

His commission to build an eighth part of the gallery around the huge dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, left unfinished by Filippo Brunelleschi, was continued due to the harsh criticism of Michelangelo, who defined it as a "cricket cage". 

The Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni palace in the Piazza di Santa Trinita (1517-20) is considered by some to be Baccio's masterpiece, bringing together all the qualities of his art, the windows surmounted by the pediment and interposed by niches and excavations having a genuine originality. 

Executed in the High Renaissance style that Baccio admired during a period in which he worked in Rome, it became a model for civil constructions of the 16th century. 

Baccio d’Agnolo died in Florence in 1543, at the age of 80.

The Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni
is one of Baccio's notable works

Travel tip:

The Palazzo Bartolini Salimbeni is in Piazza di Santa Trinita on Via de' Tornabuoni in central Florence. It was built on the site of a former residence of the Soldanieri and Dati families, which was bought by Bartolomeo Bartolini-Salimbeni, who paid Baccio d'Agnolo two florins per month for his work. The Bartolini-Salimbeni family lived in the palace until the early 19th century, after which, in 1839, it became the Hotel du Nord, where figures such as the American writer Herman Melville stayed. The palace was restored in 1961 and it is now a private property. It once housed the San Romano Battle paintings by Paolo Uccello, which were commissioned by a member of the Bartolini Salimbeni family. The paintings are now distributed between the Uffizi, the National Gallery in London and the Louvre in Paris.

Palazzo Vecchio, which
Baccio helped restore

Travel tip:

Florence’s imposing Palazzo Vecchio, formerly Palazzo della Signoria, a cubical building of four storeys made of solid rusticated stonework, crowned with projecting crenellated battlements and a clock tower rising to 94m (308ft), became home of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici moved his official seat from the Medici palazzo in via Larga in May 1540. When Cosimo later removed to Palazzo Pitti, he officially renamed his former palace the Palazzo Vecchio, the "Old Palace", although the adjacent town square, the Piazza della Signoria, still bears the original name. Cosimo commissioned the painter and architect Giorgio Vasari to build an above-ground walkway, the Vasari corridor, from the Palazzo Vecchio, through the Uffizi, over the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti. Cosimo I also moved the seat of government to the Uffizi, which translated literally, simply means ‘offices’. Today, of course, the Uffizi, is known the world over for its collection of art treasures.

Also on this day:

1860: The birth of politician Vittorio Orlando

1870: The birth of sculptor Pompeo Coppini

1946: The birth of actor Michele Placido

1979: The birth of footballer Andrea Pirlo

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