Treasures of the origins
The history of Italy is thousands of years old, as evidenced by the Neolithic sites in the Great Lakes region, built on stilts to adapt to the wet terrain. The Etruscans, on the other hand, are famous for having created the first forms of reasoned urban planning, and for having developed the techniques of the arch and the vault. Their architecture was initially defensive, as illustrated in Perugia by the imposing surrounding walls made of travertine blocks punctuated by doors and arches, including the amazing Arco Etrusco. But the Etruscans are best known for the splendor of their funerary architecture. The necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia are among the most impressive. Conceived as real cities, they are spread out in districts, streets and small squares. Carved in the rock, surmounted by tumuli or sculpted in the form of houses and decorated with paintings and bas-reliefs, the tombs display their rich originality. Then it was the turn of the Greeks to impose their style. The temples of Paestum are the most beautiful testimonies of a Doric architecture based on logic and harmony. Smooth or fluted, the column is the main element that no superfluous decoration distracts from its role. The south of Italy is also rich in numerous witnesses of the Magna Grecia whose power is illustrated in the cyclopean walls of Locri or in the very rigorous checkerboard plan of Heraclea. To build more quickly and on a larger scale, the Romans used brick, which was cheaper than stone, but above all lighter and more manageable, just like the concrete they invented. Thanks to it, they were able to build their vaults and domes on an ever larger scale and without the need for intermediate supports. Aurelian's fortifications surrounding Rome or the 80,000 km of roads they built, many of which are still lined with astonishing triumphal arches, are perfect examples of this mixture of pragmatism and Roman-style monumentalism. In terms of urban planning, the Romans resumed the checkerboard pattern, this time organized around two axes - the Cardo and the Decumanus - which intersect in a center where the forum is established, the heart of the city, and where an architecture of appearance is revealed. From then on, it was a question of masking the poverty of materials (brick, mortar) under slabs of marble, stucco or several layers of plaster. The Romans also opted for an increasingly busy decorative work as shown by the new Corinthian and Tuscan orders with their capitals sculpted with acanthus leaves. The ornamented columns are engaged in the walls and no longer play any supporting role. All this can be found in the temples often overhung by impressive domes, such as that of Hadrian's Pantheon, but also in the theaters and amphitheatres. TheArena of Verona can boast the3rd largest amphitheater in the country, but it is of course the Colosseo (Colosseum) that attracts all eyes! Another characteristic of Roman architecture is the splendor displayed in the villas. Villa Adriana, imagined as an ideal city mixing nature and architecture, is one of the most beautiful. And how can we not evoke the splendors of Pompeii and Herculaneum where modern urbanism (paved streets, raised sidewalks, sewage system) and splendid villas interact? Polychrome mosaics and frescoes decorated the floors and walls of these luxurious homes. An art of decoration that can be found in the paleochristian treasures that operate a magnificent syncretism between ancient acquisitions, Byzantine inspiration (frescoes, domes) and pre-Romanesque Western influence (sobriety, art of 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 colored glass paste placed on a background often blue, these mosaics change appearance according to the effects of modulation of light. An art of syncretism that we find in Venice which invented its own style called Venetian-Byzantine and whose Basilica di San Marco is the proudest representative. See its sumptuous mosaics, its 5 domes and its marble and porphyry decorations. The first Christians, who worshipped out of sight in the catacombs of Rome, probably did not imagine that such splendor would be allowed!
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 in particular by its plans with multiple naves and apses, the use of polychromatic effects between brick and stone, and the use of the Lombard band (vertical bands of low projection linked together by small blind arcatures). This style was notably carried by the "Masters of Como". Southern Italy is more marked by the influence of the Normans who erected castles recognizable by their massive volumes dominated by powerful towers. The South is also characterized by a Romanesque art that is the link between the art of High Antiquity, Germanic imagination, Byzantine formal rigor and Arab decorative abundance. The Basilica of San Nicola in Bari is the most beautiful example. Tuscany will, in turn, develop its 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-Luccan school whose Piazza dei Miracoli in 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. The Romanesque school was followed by the Gothic school, which was everywhere abundant, airy and luminous. This transition is perfectly illustrated by the impressive Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi(Basilica San Francesco), a city-sanctuary with superb monasteries and hermitages. 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, as well as the cathedral of Troia with its stone rose window with 11 petals connected by polychrome marble arches, or the Duomo of Orvieto with its frescoes and mosaics. At that time, cities and villages developed around a central element: the piazza, which extends into streets with arcades and porticoes. Those of Bologna are a must. Made of wood, stone or brick, these vaulted arcades served as both a 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. Castles and fortresses line the hills of Valle d'Aosta as well as those of Abruzzo, which are also famous for their numerous hermitages with sober, defensive architecture that seems to blend into the rock. The art of taking advantage of the topography is also illustrated in the villages of the Cinque Terre, whose vertical terraced cultivations are supported by dry stone walls, called muretti a secco, stretching for nearly 7,000 km while the coast is only 12 km long! But the most astonishing fortresses are, without a doubt, those erected by Frederick II in the south of the country. His great masterpiece is the Castel del Monte, nicknamed "the crown of Puglia". With an octagonal plan, the castle is flanked by 8 octagonal towers and organized around a central patio, itself octagonal! Let's finish our medieval journey by mentioning the amazing sassi (literally stones/pebbles) of Matera in Basilicata, and the trulli of Puglia. Caves used since prehistoric times, the sassi have been progressively transformed, seeing today a dialogue between stone facades pressed against the rock announcing troglodyte dwellings, wine cellars, and authentic rupestrian churches! The latter take their name from the Greek word troullos meaning dome. Their roof is, in fact, made of concentric circles made of slabs of lauze that are superimposed on each other without mortar, creating a corbelled vault. The dome ends with a decorative pinnacle, while the slate is decorated with symbolic motifs painted in white. These small houses are always whitewashed and can be square or circular in plan. The village of Alberobello is home to nearly 1,500 of them!
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 meters in diameter and 100 meters high, this duomo is an unprecedented technical feat. Alberti wrote the first great treatise on architecture, De re aedificatoria. He developed criteria of solidity, usefulness and beauty, which should allow to reach correctness, rhythm and proportion. In Veneto, the Renaissance bears the mark of Andrea Palladio. In Vicenza, he built the Teatro Olimpico, whose semicircular tiers and loggia are inspired by antiquity, 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 Roman Renaissance bears the mark of the brilliant Bramante. It is to him that we owe the Tempietto, a commemorative building whose circular plan, colonnade and dome recall the ancient pantheons. Bramante also designed the plan for the reconstruction of the Basilica di San Pietro, with a Greek cross plan and a large dome. forty years after the laying of the foundation stone, Michelangelo took over the project. While he retained Bramante's basic principles, he chose to make the interior more streamlined for greater clarity. 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. The second is a new creation whose modernity and functionality should contribute to making it the ideal city. But it is without doubt the city of Ferrara that has the most complex Renaissance urbanism. Designed by Biagio Rossetti, it emphasizes urban perspectives and the search for coherence and harmony. Among the city's masterpieces, don't miss the Palazzo dei Diamanti with its facade decorated with diamond-shaped motifs.
Mannerism and Baroque
From the middle of the 16th century onwards, certain artists sought to detach themselves from the faltering Renaissance ideals in order to infuse them with their own vision, in a cult of personal style or maniera. Mannerism was an art in movement, and it was intended to create surprise. In 1539, while in charge of the redesign of the Capitoline Square in Rome, Michelangelo imagined a new order: the colossal order that altered the proportions and distorted the perspectives. The Palazzo Pitti, the Medici's new home in Florence, is another fine example of Mannerism. 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, devotional paths built on mountains consisting 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 which will find its apogee in the sumptuous Isola Bella, the island-palace of the Borromees, with its gardens arranged in 10 terraces. Still fighting against the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church wanted to build the faithful to bring them back into its fold. Baroque was its propaganda style. In Rome, its great representative is Le Bernin. A visionary, he envisaged his creations in the manner of a scenographer and expressed his taste for the grandiose without limit. His great masterpiece is St. Peter's Square with its double portico of 284 columns and 88 pilasters 20 m high and its 162 statues forming a procession leading to the basilica.
Baroque is also a period of great wealth for the region of Puglia, whose city of Lecce is nicknamed "the Florence of Baroque"! Balustrades, cornices and windows are literally overflowing with garlands with plant or marine motifs, cherubs and caryatids with rounded curves, and twisted columns, all finely chiseled like lace in the golden stone of Lecce. As the new capital of the Savoy, Turin became the center of a power that was also displayed through its pleasure houses that surrounded the city. These residences, designed by the greatest architects of the time, are referred to as the "Crown of Savoy Delights". In Genoa too, the powerful had sumptuous palaces built. The Royal Palace is undoubtedly the most beautiful. These baroque palaces were part of the rolli system created in Genoa in the 16th century and establishing a list(rollo) of the most beautiful residences likely to welcome the distinguished guests of the Republic. In Venice, it was the famous Baldassare Longhena who carried the city away in a baroque whirlwind designed to celebrate the city's rich past and the power of its patrons. Longhena was responsible for the two most beautiful palaces of the time: the Ca'Pesaro and the Ca'Rezzonico, with their monumental staircases, an essential element of the theatrical effect of power. 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 Royal Palace of Caserta, designed by the Bourbons to rival Versailles and the Royal Palace of Madrid, makes an elegant transition between baroque exuberance and classical harmony. With its thousands of rooms and sumptuous gardens with fountains fed by an aqueduct, it is the symbol of monumental architecture by Luigi Vanvitelli.
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, especially in northern Italy. It is to Maria Theresa of Austria that we owe the construction of one of the most famous theaters in the world: the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Alongside the neoclassical style, a series of pastiches or revivals developed, 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, case fondaci are palaces used as shops and residences, with a land entrance and a water entrance giving access to the warehouses via porticoes. The piano nobile, the upper floor, is organized around the portego, a central room running along the entire facade, sometimes preceded by superb, elaborate loggias. 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 adds a new touch: that of Art Nouveau or Liberty, 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 thermal baths with their wrought iron roof gate and polychrome glass windows. The 19th and early 20th centuries were also periods of great urban development. Milan, Turin and Naples 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 providing services to avoid social conflicts. The city of Ivrea, founded in 1908, 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 formerly used to designate municipal palaces, and reintroduced by the Fascists who appreciated the concept of a public building with a balcony from which they could harangue the crowd). In Rome, the vision of the Gruppo Sette, which combines classicism (colonnades, pediments) and modernism (simple geometric volumes, sober and pure lines), is in perfect agreement with the Fascist vision of Mussolini, who wants to restore the grandeur of the capital. For the 1942 Universal Exhibition, he designed the EUR district with its famous Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, nicknamed the "Square Colosseum". The Casa del Fascio in Como, the work of Giuseppe Terragni, harmoniously combines classical canons and rationalist lines. A mixture of genres also favored by Marcello Piacentini, who created the large Piazza della Vittoria in Genoa, from which emerges the impressive Arch of Victory with its ornamented pillars. 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, which advocates the harmonious and natural integration into the urban fabric of a rationalist and organic architecture, as shown by the Florence train station, Santa Maria Novella.
Contemporary architecture
The post-war reconstruction in Milan bears the mark of the greatest architects. Gio Ponti, in collaboration with Pier-Luigi Nervi, designed the Grattacielo Pirelli, 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 Milanese architect Aldo Rossi (winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize) presents his conception of architecture based on universalism and humanistic rationalism. He was responsible for the astonishing Centro Direzionale di Fontivegge in Perugia, with its Palazzo della Regiona perched on slender stilts. The 1970s were also the period of the large complexes that transformed the outskirts of major cities, such as the Il Corviale building in Rome, nicknamed Il Serpentone, because it stretches over 1 km, or the concrete sails of the Vele di Scampia project in Naples. In the 1980s, Genoa entrusted Renzo Piano (the second 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. Very attached to his hometown, it is quite 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. Among the master's other great achievements is the astonishing Padre Pio church in San Giovanni Rotondo, whose 30,000m3 of cement, 60 tons of steel and 500m2 of glass make it the church of all superlatives! In Rovereto, Mario Botta is responsible for the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which was conceived as "a Pantheon without a façade". The Italian Tyrol is also home to one of the most astonishing creations of the famous architect Zaha Hadid: the Messner Mountain Museum on the Plan de Corones, nestled in the rock so as not to break the harmony of the landscape. Hadid is also responsible for the new ferry terminal in Salerno, the MAXXI in Rome, a beautiful concrete structure with curved lines, and the impressive Generali Tower, with its helical 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 the aptly-named Piazza Tre Torri in Milan. 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 on the site of former steel factories. The 7 stations and 2 terminals of the Minimetro in Perugia were designed by Jean Nouvel. This mix of genres can be found in Naples with its "art stations" which invite architects and designers to rethink the metro and the city. Dominique Perrault has redesigned Garibaldi Square, while Alvaro Siza and Edouardo Souto de Moura have reinvented the Municipio station, creating an astonishing dialogue with the archaeological treasures revealed during the work. A dialogue that can be found in Venice. The Serenissima had already welcomed the greatest architects in the Gardens of the Biennale, and this effervescence continues today. Santiago Calatrava designed the Constitution Bridge, Tadao Ando restored the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogama for the Pinault Foundation, while Rem Koolhaas and Philippe Starck transformed the Fondaco dei Tedeschi into a temple of luxury and design. In small and large ways, Italy never stops reinventing itself!
