Treasures of the origins
The millenary history of Northern Italy begins in the Italian Lakes region, more precisely in the south of Lake Orta and in Castellaro Lagusello near Lake Garda, where one can discover the so-called palafittic sites, including the remains of Neolithic settlements designed on stilts to adapt to this lacustrian region. The Etruscans were great masters of urban planning and defensive architecture, as evidenced in Perugia by the imposing walls made of travertine blocks punctuated by gates and arches, including the amazing Arco Etrusco decorated with friezes, escutcheons and Ionic pillars. But the Etruscans are best known for the splendor and originality of their funerary architecture. The necropolis of Crocifisso del Tufo extends like a real city, lining up with regularity its mortuary chambers, astonishing blocks of tuff with grass roofs all having the same proportions. Most of the cities of Northern Italy have preserved the checkerboard plan inherited from the Roman period. In the same way, most of the beautiful Italian piazzas were built in place of the Roman forums, such as the Piazza del Comune in Assisi, whose foundations and road network are another legacy of the Romans. The Romans also reinforced the Etruscan fortifications, adding powerful gates and monumental arches. Among the most famous, don't miss theTrajan Arch in Ancona with its white marble silhouette and fluted columns or the Arch of Augustus in Susa. A monumentalism and a desire to impress that can be found in all Roman buildings, such as the Arena of Verona, nicknamed "the eye of Verona", which can be proud of being thesecond largest amphitheater in Italy still standing.
Another must-see site is the archaeological area of Aquileia, where impressive remains of the port area, part of the forum, a spa complex and two luxurious residential complexes remain. Masters in engineering, especially in the field of water supply, as shown by the basement of the city of Narni with its remains of cisterns and aqueducts, and great pragmatists, the Romans were no less lovers of luxury as evidenced, not far from Sirmione, the so-called Grotta di Catulloa villa of impressive dimensions (167 x 105 m). Polychrome mosaics and frescoes decorated the floors and walls of these luxurious places. An art of decoration that can be found in the Paleochristian treasures that operate a magnificent syncretism between ancient achievements (reuse of materials), Byzantine inspiration (frescoes, domes) and pre-Romanesque Western influence (sobriety, art of the stone, original geometric plans). The most beautiful examples of this architecture are to be seen in Ravenna which offers an amazing reading of the evolution of the art of mosaic. Made with squares of glass paste, these mosaics change appearance according to the effects of modulation of light. To create more effects, it was not uncommon to use alabaster to make the windows and frames, whose bright white reflects the light. Among the most beautiful buildings of the city, do not miss: the battistero neoniano and the mausoleo di Galla Placidia with its dome decorated with sublime mosaics with blue background. Another paleochristian treasure is the Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore in Milan, one of the largest circular churches of the Western Roman Empire, whose monumental portico was built from the 16 columns of an ancient temple. An art of syncretism that can be found in Venice, which invented its own style called Venetian-Byzantine and of which the Basilica di San Marco is the proudest representative. See its sumptuous mosaics, its 5 domes and its decorations of marble and porphyry.
Medieval power
Creating a fascinating link between the Roman, Byzantine and Germanic empires, the Lombards brought Northern Italy into its medieval period. Their power was first manifested by the construction of numerous towers and fortifications. Coupled with Romanesque influences, this architecture then gave rise to the RomanoLombard style, which can be recognized by its plans with multiple naves and apses, the use of polychromatic effects between brick and stone, the use of the Lombard band (vertical bands of low height linked together by small blind arcatures), and other geometric motifs. This style was particularly carried by the "Masters of Como". Among their masterpieces are the Basilica di Sant'Abbondio in Como and the Abbey of San Nicolo di Piona. This mixture of formal sobriety and refined decorative research can be found throughout northern Italy, as evidenced by the Duomo di Trento or the Basilica di Santo Stefano in Bologna, which includes four churches, including that of the Holy Sepulchre, with its astonishing octagonal plan built on the foundations of a Roman temple.
In Tuscany, Florence, Siena and Pisa developed their own architectural language. Polychromy of marbles and mosaics, use of geometric forms, facades stepped galleries and colonnades are among the characteristic elements of the Pisan-Lucian school whose Piazza dei Miracoli of Pisa is the most famous representative. The Florentine school, on the other hand, is characterized by a purity of lines and volumes largely inspired by the classical ideal, and by the importance given to the mural ornamentation through a skilful play of polychromy combining white, green and serpentine marbles. The Battistero San Giovanni in Florence is a perfect example. The Sienese school is characterized by several elements: sobriety of decoration, Latin cross plan, harmony of lines and color effects. All of these elements can be found in the Abbey of Sant'Antimo. Finally, how can we not mention the Cathedral of Modena, a jewel of the twelfth century, where we discover for the first time the work of an architect (Langfranco) and a sculptor (Wiligelmo) who signed their work.
The Romanesque style is followed by the Gothic style, which is abundant, airy and bright. The whiteness of its marble and the fineness of its decorations reminiscent of lace make the Duomo of Milan one of the symbols of this ornamented Gothic style. Cities and villages developed around a central element: the piazza, which extends into streets with arcades and porticoes. The vaulted arcades of Bologna are a must. Made of wood, stone or brick, they served as both shelter and a place for meetings and commerce. At that time, the cities wanted to illustrate their independence through the broletti and palazzi della ragione, municipal palaces with first floors with galleries and richly decorated floors. Those of Como, Bergamo and Padua are among the most beautiful. But nothing can match the splendor of the palaces of Venice, symbols of bourgeois and commercial opulence, of which the Ca'd'Oro, with its gold and marble facade, is the most beautiful example. However, this splendor should not make us forget that this medieval period was also defensive. San Gimignano, nicknamed "the city of the beautiful towers" because of the dozens of fortified towers that nobles and burghers had built, is a perfect example. In Lombardy, the ricetti were fortified structures where the inhabitants could protect their crops and take refuge in case of attack. The Ricetto di Candelo is the most famous. Castles and rocca (fortresses) also line the hills of Valle d'Aosta, such as the Sarriod de la Tour castle, as well as the shores of the lakes, such as the Sirmione castle, and the landscapes of Umbria, including the famous Rocca Albornaziana of Spoleto. An art of taking advantage of the topography that is also illustrated in the villages of the Cinque Terre. There, the inhabitants have built the cian, vertical cultivations in flat terraces supported by dry stone walls, called muretti a secco, stretching for nearly 7,000 km while the coast is only 12!
Triumph of the Renaissance
The Medici contributed to making Florence a great center of the arts and the birthplace of the great masters of architecture. Brunelleschi invented a new architectural language that had its roots in the ancient classical aesthetic. His mastery of perspective allowed him to control the dimensions of each building and to ensure their proportion in order to obtain a harmonious whole. Brunelleschi's major work is the duomo of the Cattedrale Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. A giant dome measuring 42 m in diameter and 100 m high, this duomo is an unprecedented technical feat. A double shell with a brick apparatus in fishbone and concentric rings allowed the structure to be self-supporting as it rose! Alberti wrote the first great treatise on architecture: De re aedificatoria. He develops criteria that should allow to reach correctness, rhythm and proportion. These 3 criteria are solidity, utility and beauty. Alberti was very active with the Rucellai family, whose palace he built. Venice went from an architecture of rigor and sobriety advocated by Mario Codussi, which can be seen in the immaculate whiteness of the Istrian stone facades of the church of San Michele in Isola, to a classical Renaissance whose two great figures were Jacopo Sansovino and Andrea Palladio. To the first, we owe in particular the Libreria Vecchia, whose arcades recall those of the Colosseum. To the latter, who succeeded Sansovino as proto (chief architect of Venice), we owe an architecture that mixes humanist ideals and ancient models and that can be read in the church of San Giorgio Maggiore. But it is especially in Vicenza that the genius of Palladio will express itself. He notably realized the Teatro Olimpico whose semicircular tiers and loggia are of ancient inspiration, but whose stage with its trompe-l'oeil perspectives is resolutely Renaissance. The entire Veneto region is dotted with hundreds of so-called "Palladian" villas. At the center of these villas is the temple house, enhanced by a monumental staircase and crowned by a pediment supported by the columns of the loggia. The central residence is connected by porticoes to the side wings, which are used for agricultural purposes and often have towers. At the same time, the Serenissima continued to expand its empire, which it protected with the Stato da Terra / Stato da Mar defense system, composed of bastioned structures adapted to modern artillery, of which the citadels of Bergamo and Palmanova are the proudest representatives. The Renaissance was also a period of great urban planning. Mantua and Sabbioneta bear the mark of the Gonzaga family. The former is a superb example of urban renewal. Great architects such as Alberti worked to allow the city to expand harmoniously, while providing it with modern infrastructures, especially in terms of hydraulic engineering. The second is a new creation whose modernity and functionality must contribute to making Sabbioneta the ideal city. This ambition can be found in Urbino, transformed by Duke Federico of Montefeltro. The Palazzo Ducale impresses with its sumptuous courtyard with arcades and its Studiolo with trompe-l'oeil marquetry, partly based on plans by Botticelli. But it is undoubtedly the city of Ferrara that has the most complex Renaissance town planning. Designed by Biagio Rossetti, it emphasizes urban perspectives and the search for coherence and harmony. Among the masterpieces of the city, do not miss the Palazzo dei Diamanti with its facade decorated with diamond-shaped motifs. Beyond the city it rules, the d'Este family also designed a network of noble residences, called Delizie Estensi, designed to convey the court's lavish image everywhere.
Mannerism and Baroque
Breaking more firmly with the humanist ideals of the Quattrocento, the Mannerists of the 16th century imagined an architecture that was free from the shackles of measure, order and rule. The Pitti Palace, the new Medici residence in Florence, is a fine example. The powerful family also built numerous villas and gardens throughout Tuscany, marking the beginning of a fruitful dialogue between nature and architecture. A reflection that can be found in the jewels of Piedmont and Lombardy: the Sacro Monte. An elegant transition between Renaissance and Baroque, these devotional routes, built on mountains, are composed of a series of chapels, each representing a stage in the life of Jesus or the saint celebrated. One of the most beautiful is the Sacro Monte of Orta. Some of the chapels bear the mark of a very theatrical baroque that will find its apogee in the sumptuous Isola Bella, island-palace of the Borromees. See the 10 terraces of its garden that give the whole place the appearance of a plant pyramid and its grottoes decorated with tuff, stucco, shells and shiny stones! The Baroque style is rich, theatrical and exuberant, and is now making its mark everywhere.
As the new capital of the Savoy, Turin became the center of a power that was also displayed through the pleasure houses that surrounded the city. These residences, designed by the greatest architects of the time, including Filippo Juvarra, who built the Veneria Reale, are known as the "Crown of Savoy Delights". In Genoa too, the powerful had sumptuous palaces built. The Royal Palace is undoubtedly the most beautiful. Do not miss its gardens and basins decorated with superb mosaics of pebbles. Called risseu, a name derived from the French word ruisseau, this technique consists in creating astonishing mosaics with patterns from black and white pebbles, collected in the neighboring rivers... Millions of pebbles and several years of work were necessary to realize one of these masterpieces! These baroque palaces are part of the rolli system created in Genoa in the 16th century. In 1576, an edict established a list (rollo) of the most beautiful palaces likely to be able to accommodate the distinguished guests of the Republic. The residences were divided into 3 categories according to their degree of splendor and splendor. Once the category was determined according to the importance of the guest, a draw was held to allocate the residences... and all costs were paid by the owners! This decorative exuberance can be seen everywhere in Liguria, especially in the coastal villages with their high, multi-story houses covered with colored plaster, themselves decorated with amazing trompe-l'oeil that make these modest homes look like palaces. Camogli is the most beautiful example. In Venice, it is the famous Baldassare Longhena who carries the city in a baroque whirlwind thought to celebrate the rich past of the city and the power of its patrons. Longhena was responsible for the two most beautiful palaces of the time: Ca'Pesaro and Ca'Rezzonico, with their monumental staircases, an essential element of the Baroque theatrical effect. These staging effects are brought to their peak in the church known as the Gesuiti, whose walls are covered with drapery... which are in fact effects of sculpture in marble. The integration of theatrical effects in the very heart of a theater is an amazing mise en abyme effect... to experience it, go to the Teatro Farnese in Parma, all in wood and stucco, and for a long time one of the largest private theaters in Europe.
Eclecticism and modernity
After the abundant baroque, the 18th and early 19th centuries turned to the more sober and harmonious lines of classicism. A choice partly due to the Austrians who controlled many cities in Northern Italy. It was Maria Theresa of Austria who built one of the most famous theaters in the world: La Scala in Milan. The city also has its own little Versailles: the Villa Reale. In Parma, Maria Lucia of Austria was responsible for the construction of the Teatro Regio, whose facade impresses with its imposing arches and colonnades. However, it is Trieste that most preserves the delightfully old-fashioned charm of the cities of Mitteleuropa. Alongside the neoclassical style, a series of pastiches or revivals is developing, linked to the growing interest in historical research. In Venice, the new façade of the Fondaco dei Turchi opens the way to the neo-Byzantine fashion. As a reminder, the case fondaci are palaces used as warehouses, shops and residences with an entrance on the land side and an entrance on the water side giving access to the warehouses via porticoes. The piano nobile, the upper floor, was organized around the portego, a central room running along the entire facade and sometimes preceded by superb elaborate loggias. The Albula and Bernina railway lines are masterpieces of engineering, with dozens of bridges, tunnels and viaducts designed to blend harmoniously into the mountain landscape. This concern is also reflected in the Dolomite Highway that connects Bolzano to Cortina. Historicist and Belle Époque styles adorn the facades of all the hotels and resorts that developed at the same time as the road and railways. In Merano, the Kurhaus, or bathhouse, added a new touch: that of Art Nouveau, or Liberty in Italy, all lightness, curves and floral motifs. A mixture of genres that can be found in the water city of Montecatini Terme, where you can admire the Tettuccio Spa with its wrought-iron roof gate and polychrome glass windows. The 19th and early 20th centuries were also periods of great urban development. Milan and Turin expanded beyond their original walls with wide tree-lined boulevards that connected enlarged squares and were sublimated by the multiplication of superb galleries, whose elegant windows were supported by metal structures. New towns were also created. Crespi d'Adda is a workers' housing estate designed to offer a dignified and comfortable home to the workers, while at the same time offering services designed to avoid social conflicts. Founded in 1908, the city of Ivrea illustrates how architecture and urban planning can respond to new social issues, with particular emphasis on the importance of public spaces and the interior design of workers' housing. In the 1920s, fascist architecture made its appearance. Administrative buildings sprang up, overwhelming the newly built piazzas with their classical monumentality. This is the case in Piazza Monte Grappa in Varese with its Torre Civica, an enormous belfry whose base has an arengario (a term that used to designate municipal palaces, and was reintroduced by the Fascists who appreciated the concept of a public building with a balcony from which they could harangue the crowd). One of the most amazing witnesses of this period is the Casa del Fascio in Como. The work of Giuseppe Terragni, it harmoniously combines borrowings from the classical canons and rationalist lines. A mixture of genres also favored by Marcello Piacentini who realized, in Genoa, the great Piazza della Vittoria from which emerges the impressive Arch of Victory with ornamented pillars and sculpted allegories. In Tuscany, rationalism has two faces. On the one hand, that of Pier Luigi Nervi, engineer and specialist in reinforced concrete, who built the Artemio-Franchi Stadium with its elegant spiral staircase. On the other hand, that of the Gruppo Toscano, led by Giovanni Michelucci, who advocated the harmonious and natural integration of rationalist and organic architecture into the urban fabric, as shown by the Santa Maria Novella station in Florence.
Contemporary architecture
Post-war reconstruction in Milan bears the mark of the greatest architects. Gio Ponti, in collaboration with Pier-Luigi Nervi, designed the Pirelli Tower, the city's first skyscraper. Nervi also gave Turin one of his most audacious buildings: the Palazzo del Lavoro, all metal and concrete. With his theoretical treatise L'Archittetura della Citta, published in 1966, the famous Milanese architect Aldo Rossi (winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize) presents his conception of architecture based on universalism and humanistic rationalism. The residential area of Gallaratese in Milan bears his mark. He is also responsible for the astonishing Centro Direzionale di Fontivegge in Perugia, with its Palazzo della Regiona perched on slender stilts. In the 1980s, Genoa entrusted Renzo Piano (thesecond Italian to win the Pritzker Prize) with the transformation of the Porto Antico. By choosing to remove the harbor enclosure, Renzo Piano gave the city direct access to the sea. Since then, the brilliant architect has provided this area with the most amazing infrastructures, such as the Bigo, an elevator that propels you 40 meters high like a ship's loading crane. He also gave the Aquarium superb structures such as the glass and steel bubble of the Biosphere and the 23 m high reinforced concrete parallelepiped (10 of which are under the sea!) of the Cetacean Pavilion. Very attached to his hometown, it was only natural that he offered Genoa the design of the Genoa-San Giorgio Viaduct, a shiny steel ship whose 43 luminous pillars pay tribute to the 43 victims of the collapse of the Morandi Bridge that it replaces. In Rovereto, Mario Botta is responsible for the Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (MART ), conceived as "a pantheon without a façade", whose three floors are organized around an agora overhung by a large glass dome. The Italian Tyrol is also home to one of the most astonishing creations of the famous architect Zaha Hadid: the Messner Mountain Museum in the Plan de Corones, an architectural feat nestled in the rock so as not to break the harmony of the landscape. Zaha Hadid is also responsible for the impressive Generali Tower, with its helicoidal twist, which seems to dance with the glass tower with curved surfaces by Arata Isozaki and the curved tower reminiscent of a ship's sail by Daniel Libeskind, all three of which form Milan's aptly-named Piazza Tre Torri. Other must-sees in Milan include the Prada Foundation, housed in a former distillery rehabilitated by Rem Koolhaas, and the MUDEC designed by David Chipperfield (winner of the 2023 Pritzker Prize) on the site of former steelworks. The 7 stations and 2 terminal stations of the Minimetro in Perugia were designed by Jean Nouvel. A surprising dialogue between the past and modernity that can be found in Venice. The Serenissima had already welcomed the greatest architects in the Gardens of the Biennale whose cortile of sculptures of the large pavilion with undulating roof is signed Carlo Scarpa. Since then, the city has continued to welcome the most famous starchitects, such as Santiago Calatrava, who designed the Constitution Bridge, Tadao Ando, who restored Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogama for the Pinault Foundation, Renzo Piano, who redesigned the old salt stores for the Vedova Foundation, and Rem Koolhaas and Philippe Starck, who transformed the Fondaco dei Tedeschi into a temple of luxury and design. With small or large touches, Northern Italy never stops reinventing itself!
