Italy: Highlights of Renaissance and Baroque Architecture

Italian Architecture in Brief

Students and admirers of architecture recognize that Italy boasts some of the greatest buildings in the world. While not every artistic period was responsible for positively influencing the architecture of Italy, the Renaissance and Baroque periods both produced structures that are admired and considered classics today. The historic buildings of Italy offer myriad examples of Baroque and Renaissance architecture; several shining jewels stand out as architecture that must be experienced if one is in reasonable proximity.

The Renaissance Period

Italy's Renaissance Architecture

The Renaissance period was marked by a return to some of the classic architectural elements, epitomized by the arches, domes and decorative touches of some of Rome's early buildings. The Renaissance architects used innovative ways to adapt these traditional elements and design with them in previously unimagined ways.

Highlights of Italian Renaissance Architecture

Several of the earliest examples of Renaissance architecture still stand in Florence today. The dome of the Florence Cathedral (often called Il Duomo) is one of the most famous works from this period; it was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, who is considered the first architect of the Italian Renaissance. A native of Florence, he studied the structures of Rome, then returned home to combine the design elements of the antiquities with a new sense of proportion. He was also responsible for the San Lorenzo church and the Santo Spirito church, both also in Florence. The Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence represents another approach to Renaissance design. The architects of Rome followed the new trends and the new construction of the time was primarily in the Renaissance style.

Highlights of Roman Renaissance include Saint Peter's Church and the Fatnese Palace. In Rimini, the Tempio Malatestiano provides another view into this period. Not to be left behind, Venice also embraced the Renaissance sensibility. By the end of the sixteenth century, the churches of San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore were standing. Other private buildings and residences followed suit.

The Baroque Architectural Period

The seventeeth and early eighteenth centuries marked the Baroque period in Europe and the Americas. The period was marked by a fluidity of design accented by a sense of drama. The architecture of the period departed from the traditionalist forms seen in Renaissance designs and moved toward grander structures with flowing, curving shapes. Baroque architects often incorporated landscape dersign with their plans and were responsible for many of the great gardens, plazas and courtyards of Italy.

Italy's Baroque Architecture

The piazza outside Saint Peter's Church in Rome is a classic example of baroque sensibility in landscape design. Rome offers many Baroque pieces of note, including the Santa Susanna Church, the dome of the Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Piazza Navona, the Scala Regia, the San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and the Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza. The Spanish steps, also known as the "Scalla di Spagna," and the plaza at the base of them is one of the most well known examples of Baroque landscape architecture.

The Baroque palaces of Genoa are outstanding samples of this school of design. The Palazzo Rosso, built in 1671 is not only a splendid building, but an important museum. Just down the street from it is the Baroque Palazzo Bianco, an eminently important museum. Palazzo Spinola and Doria Pamphily palace with its Neptune fountain are also noteworthy.

In Florence, the famous Palazzo Medici Riccardo was originally built in the Renaissance style. However, in the late 1600s, the palace was expanded and the exterior was completely renovated. Parts of the interior were also modified. The rehabilitated building was completed in a lavish Baroque style, dramatically changing its character. The Laurentian library in Florence, which was designed by Michelangelo was created during the Renaissance period, but is often grouped with the first wave of Baroque creations.

Turin is home to the Baroque prizes, the Palazzo Carignano, the Sindone Chapel and the San Lorenzo. In Venice, the church of Santa Maria della Salute is a renowned building of this Baroque school. Other Venetian examples include Palazzo Pesaro and Palazzo Rezzonico.