Famous Italian Architects

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 1 
Michelangelo
(Regarded as the Most Accomplished Artist of His Era (High Renaissance))
Michelangelo
6
Birthdate: March 6, 1475
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Caprese Michelangelo, Italy
Died: February 18, 1564

Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet Michelangelo was a prominent figure of the High Renaissance. He is credited to have influenced the Western art in unprecedented ways. He is widely regarded as the greatest artist of his age and one of the greatest artists of all time. He was equally revered and respected as an architect.

 2 
Filippo Brunelleschi
(One of the Pioneers of Early Renaissance Architecture in Italy)
Filippo Brunelleschi
4
Birthdate: 1377 AD
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: April 15, 1446

Filippo Brunelleschi was an Italian architect, sculptor, and designer. Regarded as Renaissance architecture's founding father, Brunelleschi is hailed as the first modern engineer. Among his famous accomplishments is the design of the dome of the Florence Cathedral. He is also credited with inventing hydraulic machinery and designing machinery that was used in churches to re-enact Biblical stories through theatrical performances.

 3 
Raphael
(Italian Painter and Architect of the High Renaissance)
Raphael
4
Birthdate: April 6, 1483
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Urbino, Italy
Died: April 6, 1520

Italian painter and architect Raphael, along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, formed the great trio who ushered in the High Renaissance. He is mostly known for his frescoes of the Vatican Palace and The School of Athens. He also designed the Chigi Chapel, among other structures in Rome.

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 4 
Renzo Piano
(Architect, Politician)
Renzo Piano
4
Birthdate: September 14, 1937
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Genoa

Pritzker Prize-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano was born into a family of builders from Genoa. His firm Piano and Rogers, was co-established with British architect Richard Rogers. The Renzo Piano Building Workshop worked on a number of museum commissions, most notably those of Menil Collection.

 5 
Andrea Palladio
(Architect)
Andrea Palladio
4
Birthdate: November 30, 1508
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Padua, Italy
Died: August 19, 1580

Andrea Palladio was an Italian architect remembered for designing villas, country houses, palaces, and churches. Widely regarded as one of the most influential architects in the history of architecture, Palladio designed 23 buildings in Vicenza and 24 villas in Veneto. Together, they are known as the City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto as named by UNESCO.

 6 
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
(One of the Greatest Sculptors of the 17th Century)
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
4
Birthdate: December 7, 1598
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Naples, Italy
Died: November 28, 1680
Son of sculptor Pietro Bernini, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, introduced the Baroque style of sculpture to the world. Known for his masterpieces such as Apollo and Daphne and David, he excelled in depicting the fine details of skin and hair in his marble creations. His commissioned creations include St. Peter's baldachin.
 7 
Giorgio Vasari
(Artist and Author Best Known for His Biographies of Italian Artists)
Giorgio Vasari
4
Birthdate: July 30, 1511
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Arezzo, Italy
Died: June 27, 1574

Giorgio Vasari was an Italian architect, painter, writer, engineer, and historian. He is best remembered for his work The Lives, a series of artist biographies, which is regarded as the art-historical writing's ideological foundation. Vasari is also credited with the formulation of the term Renaissance as it was first suggested by Jules Michelet based on Giorgio Vasari's text.

 8 
Leon Battista Alberti
(Architect and Principal Initiator of Renaissance Art Theory)
Leon Battista Alberti
4
Birthdate: February 14, 1404
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Genoa, Italy
Died: April 25, 1472
Born into an affluent banker family of Florence, Leon Battista Alberti was rumored to be an illegitimate son of his father and a Bolognese widow. The ideal Renaissance man, he later applied mathematical precision to his paintings and architectural work. His written work on art remains invaluable.
 9 
Donato Bramante
(architect, painter)
Donato Bramante
3
Birthdate: 1443 AD
Birthplace: Monte Asdruvaldo, Urbino
Died: April 11, 1514

Donato Bramante was an Italian painter and architect. He is credited with introducing the High Renaissance style to Rome and Renaissance architecture to Milan. Bramante is also credited with planning the structure of St. Peter's Basilica, which was later executed by Michelangelo. Bramante is also remembered for designing buildings like Santa Maria presso San Satiro and Santa Maria delle Grazie.  

 10 
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
(Italian Classical Archaeologist, Architect, and Artist)
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
4
Birthdate: October 4, 1720
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: November 9, 1778

Italian architect, artist, and archaeologist Giovanni Battista Piranesi is best known for his 16-print series name The Prisons. His remarkable etchings of the famous landmarks of Rome exhibited his unique etching technique, which involved contrasts of light and shade. He made about 2,000 plates throughout his life.

 11 
Ettore Sottsass
(Italian Architect)
Ettore Sottsass
3
Birthdate: September 14, 1917
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Innsbruck, Austria
Died: December 31, 2007

Born in Austria, Ettore Sottsass later moved to Italy, where his architect father was posted. He had been part of the Italian army during World War II. Initially part of the Memphis Group, he later formed his own architectural consultancy, Sottsass Associati. His works later became symbolic of pop culture.

 12 
Massimo Vignelli
(Graphic designer, Architect, University teacher)
Massimo Vignelli
3
Birthdate: January 10, 1931
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Milan
Died: May 27, 2014
Italian designer and co-founder of Vignelli Associates, Massimo Vignelli had designed everything from dinnerware to furniture. Known for experimenting with geometric shapes, he also had a long association with Unimark. His own home interiors had been designed by him. He had also designed the New York City subway map.
 13 
Francesco Borromini
(Roman Baroque Architect)
Francesco Borromini
3
Birthdate: September 25, 1599
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bissone
Died: August 2, 1667
 14 
Aldo Rossi
(Architect)
Aldo Rossi
3
Birthdate: May 3, 1931
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: September 4, 1997
 15 
Arnolfo di Cambio
(Former architect, sculptor who designed Florence Cathedral and the sixth city wall around Florence (1284-1333))
Arnolfo di Cambio
2
Birthdate: 1240 AD
Birthplace: Colle di Val d'Elsa, Italy
Died: March 8, 1310
 16 
Paolo Soleri
(Italian-Born American Architect Who Established the Educational Cosanti Foundation and Arcosant)
Paolo Soleri
3
Birthdate: June 21, 1919
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Turin, Italy
Died: April 9, 2013

Paolo Soleri was an Italian architect and educator who taught at the Arizona State University's College of Architecture. He is credited with establishing the Cosanti Foundation and also introduced the concept of arcology, a synthesis of ecology and architecture. A respected architect, Paolo Soleri won several prestigious awards like the American National Design Award and AIA Gold Medal.

 17 
Lina Bo Bardi
(Architect)
Lina Bo Bardi
3
Birthdate: December 5, 1914
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: March 20, 1992
 18 
Carlo Scarpa
(Italian Architect and Designer)
Carlo Scarpa
4
Birthdate: June 2, 1906
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: November 28, 1978
 19 
Nicola Rizzoli
(Italian Former Football Referee)
Nicola Rizzoli
3
Birthdate: October 5, 1971
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mirandola, Italy
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 20 
Carlo Maderno
(Italian Architect)
Carlo Maderno
2
Birthdate: 1556 AD
Birthplace: Capolago
Died: January 30, 1629
 21 
Pietro Belluschi
(Architect)
Pietro Belluschi
2
Birthdate: August 18, 1899
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Ancona
Died: February 14, 1994

Pietro Belluschi was an architect credited with designing more than 1,000 buildings in an illustrious career spanning more than six decades. Belluschi went on to receive several prestigious awards including the AIA Gold Medal and the National Medal of Arts. As a jury member, Belluschi played a crucial role in selecting Maya Lin's competition-winning design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

 22 
Antonio Sant'Elia
(Architect)
Antonio Sant'Elia
3
Birthdate: April 30, 1888
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Como, Italy
Died: October 10, 1916
 23 
Giulio Romano
(Architect)
Giulio Romano
3
Birthdate: 1499 AD
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: November 1, 1546
 24 
Pier Luigi Nervi
(Engineer, Architect, Civil engineer, University teacher)
Pier Luigi Nervi
3
Birthdate: June 21, 1891
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Sondrio
Died: January 9, 1979
 25 
Giacomo della Porta
(Italian Architect and Sculptor)
Giacomo della Porta
2
Birthdate: 1532 AD
Birthplace: Porlezza, Italy
Died: 1602 AD

Italian architect Giacomo della Porta was instrumental in the transition of Mannerism to early Baroque style. Born into a family of sculptors, he grew up to become a Roman renaissance figure. He also designed palaces such as Villa Aldobrandini and structures such as the façade of the Church of Gesù.

 26 
Giovanni Paolo Panini
(Painter)
Giovanni Paolo Panini
3
Birthdate: June 17, 1691
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Piacenza, Italy
Died: October 21, 1765
 27 
Pietro da Cortona
(Former Baroque painter and architect)
Pietro da Cortona
3
Birthdate: November 1, 1596
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cortona, Italy
Died: May 16, 1669
 28 
Gio Ponti
(Architect)
Gio Ponti
3
Birthdate: November 18, 1891
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: September 16, 1979
 29 
Sebastiano Serlio
(Architect)
Sebastiano Serlio
2
Birthdate: September 6, 1475
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bologna, Italy
Died: 1554 AD
 30 
Vittorio Gregotti
(Architect)
Vittorio Gregotti
2
Birthdate: August 10, 1927
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Novara, Italy
Died: March 15, 2020
 31 
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
(Architect)
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
2
Birthdate: 1700 AD
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: April 29, 1771
 32 
Alessandro Mendini
(Italian Designer and Architect)
Alessandro Mendini
2
Birthdate: August 16, 1931
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: February 18, 2019
 33 
Michelozzo
(Italian Architect and Sculptor)
Michelozzo
2
Birthdate: 1396 AD
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: October 7, 1472

Michelozzo, one of the chief figures of the Florentine Renaissance movement, initially learned bronze work under the guidance of Lorenzo Ghiberti. Throughout his career, he built everything from tombs to libraries and monasteries. He was also associated with the Medicis, and one of his best-known works was the Palazzo Medici Riccardi.

 34 
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola
(Architect)
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola
2
Birthdate: October 1, 1507
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Vignola, Italy
Died: July 7, 1573
 35 
Gaetana Aulenti
(Architect)
Gaetana Aulenti
2
Birthdate: December 4, 1927
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Palazzolo dello Stella, Italy
Died: October 31, 2012
 36 
Baldassarre Peruzzi
(Architect)
Baldassarre Peruzzi
2
Birthdate: March 7, 1481
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Siena, Italy
Died: January 6, 1536
 37 
Jacopo Sansovino
(Italian Renaissance Sculptor and Architect Who Introduced the Style of the High Renaissance into Venice)
Jacopo Sansovino
2
Birthdate: July 2, 1486
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: November 27, 1570

One of the leading sculptors and architects of the Venetian Renaissance era, Jacopo Sansovino specialized in marble and bronze sculptures. An acquaintance of Pietro Aretino and Titian, he was also made the chief architect of Venice. As a sign of respect, he had adopted his teacher Andrea Sansovino’s surname.

 38 
Federico Zuccari
(Painter)
Federico Zuccari
2
Birthdate: 1539 AD
Birthplace: Sant'Angelo in Vado, Italy
Died: July 20, 1609
 39 
Bernardo Buontalenti
(Designer)
Bernardo Buontalenti
2
Birthdate: December 15, 1531
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: June 6, 1608
 40 
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
(Italian Architect, Painter and Sculptor Best Known for Four Bronze Figures for the High Altar of 'Siena Cathedral')
Francesco di Giorgio Martini
2
Birthdate: September 23, 1439
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Siena, Italy
Died: November 29, 1502

Francesco di Giorgio was a multidimensional person and was a sculptor, painter, writer, architect, and engineer at the same time. The quintessential Renaissance man, he was later chiefly known as an architect and served Duke Federico da Montefeltro. As a sculptor, he specialized in bronze sculptures.

 41 
Nicola Salvi
(Architect)
Nicola Salvi
2
Birthdate: August 6, 1697
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: February 8, 1751
 42 
Filarete
(Architect)
Filarete
2
Birthdate: 1400
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: 1469 AD

Best remembered for his Treatise on Architecture, Filarete was a Florentine architect, sculptor, medalist and author. Born Antonio di Pietro Averlino, he was given the name Filarete, meaning lover of excellence, possibly by his teacher Lorenzo Ghiberti. Later, he began working independently, building the bronze central doors of Old St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and Ospedale Maggiore in Milan.

 43 
Luis Trenker
(Film producer)
Luis Trenker
2
Birthdate: October 4, 1892
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Urtijëi, Italy
Died: April 13, 1990
 44 
Andrea Pisano
(Italian Sculptor and Architect)
Andrea Pisano
2
Birthdate: 1290 AD
Birthplace: Pontedera, Italy
Died: 1348 AD

Fourteenth-century Italian sculptor Andrea Pisano was initially trained as a goldsmith. His major works include three bronze doors of the cathedral of Florence, apart from many significant marble works. He also contributed to ending the Byzantine influence on modern art and had also been the superintending architect of Orvieto cathedral.

 45 
Vincenzo Scamozzi
(Italian Architect)
Vincenzo Scamozzi
2
Birthdate: September 2, 1548
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Vicenza, Italy
Died: August 7, 1616
 46 
Guarino Guarini
(Italian Architect of the Piedmontese Baroque)
Guarino Guarini
2
Birthdate: January 17, 1624
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Modena, Italy
Died: March 6, 1683
A major influence on European Baroque architects, Guarino Guarini was not just a talented architect but also a mathematician and a priest. He had also penned books on architecture, astronomy, and mathematics, such as Euclides adauctus, and built buildings such as royal palaces, castles, churches, and chapels.
 47 
Domenico Fontana
(Architect)
Domenico Fontana
2
Birthdate: 1543 AD
Birthplace: Melide, Switzerland
Died: June 28, 1607
 48 
Luigi Vanvitelli
(Engineer)
Luigi Vanvitelli
1
Birthdate: May 12, 1700
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Naples, Italy
Died: March 1, 1773
 49 
Filippo Juvarra
(Architect)
Filippo Juvarra
2
Birthdate: March 7, 1678
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Messina, Italy
Died: January 31, 1736
 50 
Bartolomeo Ammannati
(Italian Architect and Sculptor)
Bartolomeo Ammannati
1
Birthdate: June 18, 1511
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Settignano, Italy
Died: April 13, 1592

Bartolomeo Ammannati was an Italian sculptor and architect. He is credited with constructing the original Ponte Santa Trinita, which was rebuilt in 1957 after its destruction during the Second World War. A respected architect of his time, Bartolomeo Ammannati was commissioned to work on several ambitious projects including the Fountain of Neptune in Florence.