Veronica Balboni | Università degli Studi di Ferrara (original) (raw)
Books by Veronica Balboni
V. Balboni, "In faciem loci" La chiesa dei Gesuiti a Ferrara tra storia e realtà costruttiva, Saggi di Storia dell'arte, 67, Campisano Editore, Roma 2020, 2020
La chiesa del Gesù di Ferrara ha avuto alterne fortune critiche. Fin dai primi decenni del XVII s... more La chiesa del Gesù di Ferrara ha avuto alterne fortune critiche.
Fin dai primi decenni del XVII secolo, pochi anni dopo la sua
consacrazione avvenuta nel 1599, le cronache storiche ci hanno
offerto molte descrizioni della fabbrica, tuttavia frammentarie
e di difficile interpretazione, anche in ragione delle continue
trasformazioni succedutesi fino al XIX secolo. Nel Novecento,
la pur ampia critica sull’architettura gesuitica ha dimostrato scarso
interesse verso il caso ferrarese fino al contributo redatto da James
Ackerman nel 1992 che, nel definire la chiesa cupa come la penitenza
stessa, ha di fatto consegnato l’edificio all’oblio. Il tentativo di
sovvertire questo destino passa dall’indagine sistematica sulle
fonti edite ed inedite e nella lettura incrociata tra questi dati
e la principale fonte diretta, la fabbrica, con l’obiettivo di
ricostruirne filologicamente e interpretarne criticamente il processo
storico, secondo i tradizionali temi della lettura storico-critica.
L’indifferibile esigenza di indagare ad una distanza ravvicinata
il fenomeno architettonico e la concretezza della sua materia
trova una significativa corrispondenza in un adagio ricorrente
nei carteggi dei padri gesuiti, impiegato per esprimere la richiesta
o l’ordine, a seconda di chi scrive, di effettuare un sopralluogo
sul sito, di lavorare in faccia al luogo in cui si sta compiendo
un fatto edilizio, per porre la necessaria attenzione alle
problematiche concrete della costruzione: in faciem loci.
Papers by Veronica Balboni
Nel 1899 Tommaso Martelli entra compiutamente a fare parte della storia dell’architettura bologne... more Nel 1899 Tommaso Martelli entra compiutamente a fare parte della storia dell’architettura bolognese. Ma nonostante la ferma intenzione di Malaguzzi Valeri di introdurre la sua figura nella cerchia dei principali protagonisti della produzione architettonica felsinea a cavallo tra Cinquecento e Seicento, la fortuna critica di Martelli è ancora oggi tutta racchiusa in quelle pagine. Prima, tra XVII e XIX secolo, e dopo, dal XX secolo a oggi, gli affondi nella sua biografia e nel catalogo delle opere hanno finito per costituire una costellazione di epidermici accenni che, tuttora, manca di una sistematica trattazione. Unica eccezione, il contributo scritto da Mario Fanti nel 1978, che in un cammeo di poche righe assegna su base documentaria all’architetto un nuovo progetto e riconferma, sulla scorta di quanto espresso da Malaguzzi Valeri quasi un secolo prima, il suo ruolo di spicco nel panorama dell’architettura locale tra Rinascimento e Barocco.
Through the reading of selected archival sources, this paper discusses the example of the city of... more Through the reading of selected archival sources, this paper discusses the example of the city of
Ferrara during the Este period (in particular XVth and XVIth centuries) as an expression of a building
tradition in which wood and stone are rare and expensive building materials. Technological
innovations developed are attested not only by architectural heritage that has been preserved until
today, but above all by archival sources produced by Este court.
TRA PATRIA PARTICOLARE E PATRIA COMUNE. L'ARCHITETTURA E LE ARTI A BOLOGNA 1534-1584, a cura di Maurizio Ricci, 2021
La storiografia artistica, e quella architettonica in particolare, hanno riflettuto solo in parte... more La storiografia artistica, e quella architettonica in particolare, hanno riflettuto solo in parte sulla duplice natura del 'reggimento' bolognese e sulle intersezioni tra il governo centrale e quello locale. Un aspetto particolarmente importante soprattutto nel caso della produzione di opere d'arte, sia mobili che immobili, ove una committenza più articolata, con differenziati riferimenti politici e culturali, incide in maniera sensibile sull'esito finale. Il richiamo alla 'tradizione', alla 'patria particolare', affermato in termini di programmi, stile, tecniche e materiali, entra così in una dialettica significativa con le novità provenienti dall'esterno, ad esempio dalla communis patria, Roma, grazie al confronto tra modelli e linguaggi favorito da spostamenti, migrazioni, eventi di rilievo internazionale, frequenti nel caso della capitale pontificia e della seconda città del suo Stato. Basti pensare all'ingresso di Giulio II a Bologna (1506), all'incontro tra Leone X e Francesco I (1515), a quello tra Clemente VII e l'imperatore Carlo V (1529-1530), particolarmente rilevanti non solo sul piano politico, o al contestato trasferimento a Bologna, in palazzo Sanuti, delle sedute del Concilio di Trento (1547). Pure i principali cantieri pubblici, la chiesa civica di San Petronio e la cattedrale di San Pietro, ma anche il palazzo del Legato, sono occasioni di costante confronto tra le differenti 'maniere'. Attraverso una serie di saggi affidati ad autori di formazione diversa, si è ritenuto utile soffermarsi sul cinquantennio compreso tra l'ascesa al soglio pontificio di Paolo III Farnese (1534-1549) e la comparsa in palazzo Fava dell'opera dei Carracci (1584), che segna un momento di forte discontinuità, come spesso è stato osservato, con la tradizione figurativa precedente.
Lexicon. Storie e architettura in Sicilia e nel Mediterraneo n. 30, 2020
Two unpublished archival sources from the Estense Archive give us some interesting elements about... more Two unpublished archival sources from the Estense Archive give us some interesting elements about the building site practice in Ferrara in second half of XVIth century. The first source is a letter written in 1560 by a ducal officer at the head of Munizioni e Fabbriche, the office that controlled all the building activities in the city, to the Duke Alfonso II d’Este to justify the orders given to craftsmen on building sites. It is a very important information source, because it explains a particular building site process and gives us a lot of information about practical building techniques. The second one, is a building regulation written in 1572 about the ducal officer behaviour on building site and about practical organisation and economic management of building activity in the city. These sources give us a clear portrait of design practices in relation to city transformation, in particular about specific aspects and roles:
- human behaviour: the relationship between patron and architect, between architect and craftsmen;
- economic aspects: purchase, provision and management of construction materials and manpower;
- construction processes: application, transformation and innovation of building technique and its relation with practical treatises of the time.
Paesaggio Urbano, 2020
The methodological accuracy applied to the restoration site practice, from preliminary investigat... more The methodological accuracy applied to the restoration site
practice, from preliminary investigations to executive project
Palladio, 2019
Jesuit historian and archivist Pietro Pirri (1881-1969) dedicated the greater part of his life to... more Jesuit historian and archivist Pietro Pirri (1881-1969) dedicated the greater part of his life to the study of the architecture of the Order, and his contributions are to this day of fundamental importance. His research took place in the Fifties and Sixties of the past century, when the long-established concept of Jesuitenstil had not yet been revised by more recent critics. Pirri's work, based on the rigorous examination of the documents preserved in the Company's archives, evidenced for the first time the structure, organization and practical aspects of the order's building activity. After some early essay, dealing with historic and artistic matters, his appointment as archivist of the Company directed Pirri's interest to more specific issues. His achievements include biographic studies of the most important Jesuits architects, including Giovanni Tristano, Giuseppe Valeriano, Giovanni de Rosis; the definition of "modo nostro" (our way) as the peculiar and exclusie planning practice of the Order; and the role in it of the consiliarius aedilicius or building counselor. Above all, he made a systematic study and promoted the diffusion of the huge quantity of documents available in the archives, considered the primary source, "the concrete ground" for all subsequent researches.
Quaderni dell'Istituto di Storia dell'Architettura, 2019
In the field of architectural history about building production in Bologna between XVIth and XVII... more In the field of architectural history about building production in Bologna between XVIth and XVIIth century, Pietro Fiorini’s role (1539-1629) is poorly investigated. Also recent studies doesn't have much to offer to his figure and to an updated critical interpretation of his works; so, the state of the art is at a standstill since the first years of XXth century. Pietro Fiorini was an important architect in the city and his presence on the main building sites is underlined by the most important literary sources written since XVIIth century; despite this, his position within artistic setup is totally obscured by other artists active in Bologna in the same years that were important protagonist of counter-reformed architectural production: just think of Pellegrino (1527-1596) e Domenico Tibaldi (1541-1583), Floriano Ambrosini (1557-1621), Ottaviano Mascarino (1536-1606). A key source to start a research about Pietro Fiorini is so-called Raccolta Fiorini, a substantial archival collection composed of drawings and an autograph diary, written by the architect since 1616. This paper aims to outline a first critical interpretation on the architect, his works and his artistic training and to provide a new consultation tool about archival collection, through a trascription and some synopsis tables.
Paesaggio Urbano, 2019
The new exibition pavilion inside Palazzo dei Diamanti’s backyard is a matter for ongoing widespr... more The new exibition pavilion inside Palazzo dei Diamanti’s
backyard is a matter for ongoing widespread debate. This
controversial topic has been developed inside and outside
institution context and it has become a media battle. The
Department of Architecture of University of Ferrara has
organized this debate to bring the discussion into a fully
cultural and academic level.
Biagio Rossetti e il suo tempo, 2018
Il presente volume raccoglie i contributi presentati in occasione del convegno internazionale Bia... more Il presente volume raccoglie i contributi presentati in occasione del convegno internazionale Biagio Rossetti e il suo tempo (Ferrara, 24-26 novembre 2016) Comitato scientifico internazionale del convegno
Studi sul Settecento romano, 2017
The phenomenology of architectural interventions on the pre-existing elaborated by Guglielmo De A... more The phenomenology of architectural interventions on the pre-existing elaborated by
Guglielmo De Angelis d’Ossat in 1978 is the essential methodological reference that the theme of the contribution faced: the concept of architettura sulle preeistenze in the XVIII century Bolognese ambit, through the scholars’ and architects’ theoretical and practical production, like those of Marcello Oretti (1714-1787) and Giuseppe Antonio Ambrosi (1700-1764). Close examination of some archival sources, manuscripts and unpublished project drawings, has allowed to detect signals of a particular sensitivity with regards to the existing architecture, carried out not only theoretically but also applied practically. There comes to light therefore a cultural context which although still in incubation and far from the goal of modern concepts of tutelage and restoration, is quite articulated, forerunner of new critical interpretations and however significant when put in comparison with the coeval Roman situation.
Le lacune urbane tra passato e presente, a cura di R. Dalla Negra e A. Ippoliti, Atti delle giornata di studio (Ferrara, 25 novembre 2014),, 2017
The ducal residence of Castelnuovo in Ferrara is an interesting example of fifteenth-century monu... more The ducal residence of Castelnuovo in Ferrara is an interesting example of fifteenth-century monumental architecture. Through many additions, conversions and demolitions of its structures this architecture has affected, deeply and for a long time, the urban development and the shape of the defensive structures of the city, so much as to be still perfectly readable in contemporary urban morphology. This paper is based on these features and I will try to investigate the architecture of the building both in its historical and contemporary conditions. In particular, I will address historical investigation that will lead to clarify building phases of the ducal architecture and specifically the phases relating to the transformation process from a castle into an unsolved urban episode, an urban gap.
Paesaggio Urbano, 2016
Quando la ricerca storico-critica orienta le scelte progettuali nell’intervento di restauro. When... more Quando la ricerca storico-critica orienta
le scelte progettuali nell’intervento di restauro.
When the critical-historical research directs executive choices in restoration project.
Paesaggio Urbano, 2016
Un intervento che restituisce un’opera significativa al catalogo dell’architettura piemontese tar... more Un intervento che restituisce un’opera significativa
al catalogo dell’architettura piemontese tardobarocca.
A project that returns a significant architecture
to late Baroque architecture catalog in Piedmont
EIIC 2015 - The 4th Electronic International Interdisciplinary Conference , 2015
This contribution gives a brief summary of the research on the theme of architectural language in... more This contribution gives a brief summary of the research on the theme of architectural language in the Italian urban vernacular architecture. The goal is to understand the possible sources from which linguistic and technological
innovation develops and circulates as well as the use of models which popular construction refers to in order to update its language. In vernacular architecture, this language is an expression of a community and it is an integral part of the
process that in the past set the building transformations. This
goal can be reached through a critical reading and analysis of the formal results which are still visible in architectural structures – in particular on the façades - that are common to a wide variety
of solutions and that, as such, are representative of the “way of building” and “building attitude” of a community. I’m going to illustrate part of the results of the first part of this research applied to a very specific context such as the Italian Po valley, one of the three fundamental physical features that characterize the geographical aspect of the Italian peninsula, and in particular the historical city of Ferrara.
Investigating and writing architectural history: subjects, methodologies and frontiers. Papers from the Third EAHN International Meeting, 2014
The years when ‘Liber Septimus’ was in circulation, written by Sebastiano Serlio and posthumously... more The years when ‘Liber Septimus’ was in circulation, written by Sebastiano
Serlio and posthumously published in 1575 in Vienna, correspond to the
postseismic period of reconstruction in Ferrara. Pirro Ligorio directly investigates
the damages caused by the earthquake of 1570, describing a city
destroyed by collapsing, badly built, old medieval constructions, weakly put
together and with no substance. Sebastiano Serlio’s technical solutions and
practical rules – illustrated in the Seventh Book with examples where the
language of medieval architecture is updated with ‘modern’ solutions – perhaps
find in Ferrara one of their first cases of practical application, thanks
to the presence of architects like Aleotti, a faithful connoisseur of Serlio’s
writings (as well as Vignola’s), and to the treaty’s recognised value as an
operational tool. It was a treaty that ‘ha restituito l’Architettura, e fattala
facile ad ogniuno,’ as Jacopo Strada would later introduce it to readers in
editio princeps. The aim of this contribution is to investigate the relations
between Serlio’s theoretical and practical postulations and the reconstruction
and restoration that began in Ferrara in the 1570s, both in the field of
architectural heritage, and the field of basic building. The latter is a specific
object of study for the author, who devotes an important part of Book VII to
it. The contribution will develop various topics, in order: The city of Ferrara
before the earthquake of 1570: a typical medieval city; Exempla of modern
architecture in Ferrara: the sixteenth century palaces of the Herculean Addition;
Serlio’s Regola and architectural language in Ferrara: churches and
palaces at the end of the sixteenth century; Serlio’s Regola and construction
language in Ferrara: basic building at the end of the sixteenth century; Conclusions:
the importance of Serlio’s treaty in the reconstruction of Ferrara.
V. BALBONI, Il primo chiostro del Monastero di Sant’Antonio Abate in Polesine: note sulle vicende costruttive, in La città di Ferrara: architettura e restauro, Atti della Giornata di Studi (Ferrara, 26 settembre 2012), a cura di R. Dalla Negra, A. Ippoliti, 2014
Strategie e programmazione della conservazione e trasmissibilità del patrimonio culturale, 2013
V. Balboni, "In faciem loci" La chiesa dei Gesuiti a Ferrara tra storia e realtà costruttiva, Saggi di Storia dell'arte, 67, Campisano Editore, Roma 2020, 2020
La chiesa del Gesù di Ferrara ha avuto alterne fortune critiche. Fin dai primi decenni del XVII s... more La chiesa del Gesù di Ferrara ha avuto alterne fortune critiche.
Fin dai primi decenni del XVII secolo, pochi anni dopo la sua
consacrazione avvenuta nel 1599, le cronache storiche ci hanno
offerto molte descrizioni della fabbrica, tuttavia frammentarie
e di difficile interpretazione, anche in ragione delle continue
trasformazioni succedutesi fino al XIX secolo. Nel Novecento,
la pur ampia critica sull’architettura gesuitica ha dimostrato scarso
interesse verso il caso ferrarese fino al contributo redatto da James
Ackerman nel 1992 che, nel definire la chiesa cupa come la penitenza
stessa, ha di fatto consegnato l’edificio all’oblio. Il tentativo di
sovvertire questo destino passa dall’indagine sistematica sulle
fonti edite ed inedite e nella lettura incrociata tra questi dati
e la principale fonte diretta, la fabbrica, con l’obiettivo di
ricostruirne filologicamente e interpretarne criticamente il processo
storico, secondo i tradizionali temi della lettura storico-critica.
L’indifferibile esigenza di indagare ad una distanza ravvicinata
il fenomeno architettonico e la concretezza della sua materia
trova una significativa corrispondenza in un adagio ricorrente
nei carteggi dei padri gesuiti, impiegato per esprimere la richiesta
o l’ordine, a seconda di chi scrive, di effettuare un sopralluogo
sul sito, di lavorare in faccia al luogo in cui si sta compiendo
un fatto edilizio, per porre la necessaria attenzione alle
problematiche concrete della costruzione: in faciem loci.
Nel 1899 Tommaso Martelli entra compiutamente a fare parte della storia dell’architettura bologne... more Nel 1899 Tommaso Martelli entra compiutamente a fare parte della storia dell’architettura bolognese. Ma nonostante la ferma intenzione di Malaguzzi Valeri di introdurre la sua figura nella cerchia dei principali protagonisti della produzione architettonica felsinea a cavallo tra Cinquecento e Seicento, la fortuna critica di Martelli è ancora oggi tutta racchiusa in quelle pagine. Prima, tra XVII e XIX secolo, e dopo, dal XX secolo a oggi, gli affondi nella sua biografia e nel catalogo delle opere hanno finito per costituire una costellazione di epidermici accenni che, tuttora, manca di una sistematica trattazione. Unica eccezione, il contributo scritto da Mario Fanti nel 1978, che in un cammeo di poche righe assegna su base documentaria all’architetto un nuovo progetto e riconferma, sulla scorta di quanto espresso da Malaguzzi Valeri quasi un secolo prima, il suo ruolo di spicco nel panorama dell’architettura locale tra Rinascimento e Barocco.
Through the reading of selected archival sources, this paper discusses the example of the city of... more Through the reading of selected archival sources, this paper discusses the example of the city of
Ferrara during the Este period (in particular XVth and XVIth centuries) as an expression of a building
tradition in which wood and stone are rare and expensive building materials. Technological
innovations developed are attested not only by architectural heritage that has been preserved until
today, but above all by archival sources produced by Este court.
TRA PATRIA PARTICOLARE E PATRIA COMUNE. L'ARCHITETTURA E LE ARTI A BOLOGNA 1534-1584, a cura di Maurizio Ricci, 2021
La storiografia artistica, e quella architettonica in particolare, hanno riflettuto solo in parte... more La storiografia artistica, e quella architettonica in particolare, hanno riflettuto solo in parte sulla duplice natura del 'reggimento' bolognese e sulle intersezioni tra il governo centrale e quello locale. Un aspetto particolarmente importante soprattutto nel caso della produzione di opere d'arte, sia mobili che immobili, ove una committenza più articolata, con differenziati riferimenti politici e culturali, incide in maniera sensibile sull'esito finale. Il richiamo alla 'tradizione', alla 'patria particolare', affermato in termini di programmi, stile, tecniche e materiali, entra così in una dialettica significativa con le novità provenienti dall'esterno, ad esempio dalla communis patria, Roma, grazie al confronto tra modelli e linguaggi favorito da spostamenti, migrazioni, eventi di rilievo internazionale, frequenti nel caso della capitale pontificia e della seconda città del suo Stato. Basti pensare all'ingresso di Giulio II a Bologna (1506), all'incontro tra Leone X e Francesco I (1515), a quello tra Clemente VII e l'imperatore Carlo V (1529-1530), particolarmente rilevanti non solo sul piano politico, o al contestato trasferimento a Bologna, in palazzo Sanuti, delle sedute del Concilio di Trento (1547). Pure i principali cantieri pubblici, la chiesa civica di San Petronio e la cattedrale di San Pietro, ma anche il palazzo del Legato, sono occasioni di costante confronto tra le differenti 'maniere'. Attraverso una serie di saggi affidati ad autori di formazione diversa, si è ritenuto utile soffermarsi sul cinquantennio compreso tra l'ascesa al soglio pontificio di Paolo III Farnese (1534-1549) e la comparsa in palazzo Fava dell'opera dei Carracci (1584), che segna un momento di forte discontinuità, come spesso è stato osservato, con la tradizione figurativa precedente.
Lexicon. Storie e architettura in Sicilia e nel Mediterraneo n. 30, 2020
Two unpublished archival sources from the Estense Archive give us some interesting elements about... more Two unpublished archival sources from the Estense Archive give us some interesting elements about the building site practice in Ferrara in second half of XVIth century. The first source is a letter written in 1560 by a ducal officer at the head of Munizioni e Fabbriche, the office that controlled all the building activities in the city, to the Duke Alfonso II d’Este to justify the orders given to craftsmen on building sites. It is a very important information source, because it explains a particular building site process and gives us a lot of information about practical building techniques. The second one, is a building regulation written in 1572 about the ducal officer behaviour on building site and about practical organisation and economic management of building activity in the city. These sources give us a clear portrait of design practices in relation to city transformation, in particular about specific aspects and roles:
- human behaviour: the relationship between patron and architect, between architect and craftsmen;
- economic aspects: purchase, provision and management of construction materials and manpower;
- construction processes: application, transformation and innovation of building technique and its relation with practical treatises of the time.
Paesaggio Urbano, 2020
The methodological accuracy applied to the restoration site practice, from preliminary investigat... more The methodological accuracy applied to the restoration site
practice, from preliminary investigations to executive project
Palladio, 2019
Jesuit historian and archivist Pietro Pirri (1881-1969) dedicated the greater part of his life to... more Jesuit historian and archivist Pietro Pirri (1881-1969) dedicated the greater part of his life to the study of the architecture of the Order, and his contributions are to this day of fundamental importance. His research took place in the Fifties and Sixties of the past century, when the long-established concept of Jesuitenstil had not yet been revised by more recent critics. Pirri's work, based on the rigorous examination of the documents preserved in the Company's archives, evidenced for the first time the structure, organization and practical aspects of the order's building activity. After some early essay, dealing with historic and artistic matters, his appointment as archivist of the Company directed Pirri's interest to more specific issues. His achievements include biographic studies of the most important Jesuits architects, including Giovanni Tristano, Giuseppe Valeriano, Giovanni de Rosis; the definition of "modo nostro" (our way) as the peculiar and exclusie planning practice of the Order; and the role in it of the consiliarius aedilicius or building counselor. Above all, he made a systematic study and promoted the diffusion of the huge quantity of documents available in the archives, considered the primary source, "the concrete ground" for all subsequent researches.
Quaderni dell'Istituto di Storia dell'Architettura, 2019
In the field of architectural history about building production in Bologna between XVIth and XVII... more In the field of architectural history about building production in Bologna between XVIth and XVIIth century, Pietro Fiorini’s role (1539-1629) is poorly investigated. Also recent studies doesn't have much to offer to his figure and to an updated critical interpretation of his works; so, the state of the art is at a standstill since the first years of XXth century. Pietro Fiorini was an important architect in the city and his presence on the main building sites is underlined by the most important literary sources written since XVIIth century; despite this, his position within artistic setup is totally obscured by other artists active in Bologna in the same years that were important protagonist of counter-reformed architectural production: just think of Pellegrino (1527-1596) e Domenico Tibaldi (1541-1583), Floriano Ambrosini (1557-1621), Ottaviano Mascarino (1536-1606). A key source to start a research about Pietro Fiorini is so-called Raccolta Fiorini, a substantial archival collection composed of drawings and an autograph diary, written by the architect since 1616. This paper aims to outline a first critical interpretation on the architect, his works and his artistic training and to provide a new consultation tool about archival collection, through a trascription and some synopsis tables.
Paesaggio Urbano, 2019
The new exibition pavilion inside Palazzo dei Diamanti’s backyard is a matter for ongoing widespr... more The new exibition pavilion inside Palazzo dei Diamanti’s
backyard is a matter for ongoing widespread debate. This
controversial topic has been developed inside and outside
institution context and it has become a media battle. The
Department of Architecture of University of Ferrara has
organized this debate to bring the discussion into a fully
cultural and academic level.
Biagio Rossetti e il suo tempo, 2018
Il presente volume raccoglie i contributi presentati in occasione del convegno internazionale Bia... more Il presente volume raccoglie i contributi presentati in occasione del convegno internazionale Biagio Rossetti e il suo tempo (Ferrara, 24-26 novembre 2016) Comitato scientifico internazionale del convegno
Studi sul Settecento romano, 2017
The phenomenology of architectural interventions on the pre-existing elaborated by Guglielmo De A... more The phenomenology of architectural interventions on the pre-existing elaborated by
Guglielmo De Angelis d’Ossat in 1978 is the essential methodological reference that the theme of the contribution faced: the concept of architettura sulle preeistenze in the XVIII century Bolognese ambit, through the scholars’ and architects’ theoretical and practical production, like those of Marcello Oretti (1714-1787) and Giuseppe Antonio Ambrosi (1700-1764). Close examination of some archival sources, manuscripts and unpublished project drawings, has allowed to detect signals of a particular sensitivity with regards to the existing architecture, carried out not only theoretically but also applied practically. There comes to light therefore a cultural context which although still in incubation and far from the goal of modern concepts of tutelage and restoration, is quite articulated, forerunner of new critical interpretations and however significant when put in comparison with the coeval Roman situation.
Le lacune urbane tra passato e presente, a cura di R. Dalla Negra e A. Ippoliti, Atti delle giornata di studio (Ferrara, 25 novembre 2014),, 2017
The ducal residence of Castelnuovo in Ferrara is an interesting example of fifteenth-century monu... more The ducal residence of Castelnuovo in Ferrara is an interesting example of fifteenth-century monumental architecture. Through many additions, conversions and demolitions of its structures this architecture has affected, deeply and for a long time, the urban development and the shape of the defensive structures of the city, so much as to be still perfectly readable in contemporary urban morphology. This paper is based on these features and I will try to investigate the architecture of the building both in its historical and contemporary conditions. In particular, I will address historical investigation that will lead to clarify building phases of the ducal architecture and specifically the phases relating to the transformation process from a castle into an unsolved urban episode, an urban gap.
Paesaggio Urbano, 2016
Quando la ricerca storico-critica orienta le scelte progettuali nell’intervento di restauro. When... more Quando la ricerca storico-critica orienta
le scelte progettuali nell’intervento di restauro.
When the critical-historical research directs executive choices in restoration project.
Paesaggio Urbano, 2016
Un intervento che restituisce un’opera significativa al catalogo dell’architettura piemontese tar... more Un intervento che restituisce un’opera significativa
al catalogo dell’architettura piemontese tardobarocca.
A project that returns a significant architecture
to late Baroque architecture catalog in Piedmont
EIIC 2015 - The 4th Electronic International Interdisciplinary Conference , 2015
This contribution gives a brief summary of the research on the theme of architectural language in... more This contribution gives a brief summary of the research on the theme of architectural language in the Italian urban vernacular architecture. The goal is to understand the possible sources from which linguistic and technological
innovation develops and circulates as well as the use of models which popular construction refers to in order to update its language. In vernacular architecture, this language is an expression of a community and it is an integral part of the
process that in the past set the building transformations. This
goal can be reached through a critical reading and analysis of the formal results which are still visible in architectural structures – in particular on the façades - that are common to a wide variety
of solutions and that, as such, are representative of the “way of building” and “building attitude” of a community. I’m going to illustrate part of the results of the first part of this research applied to a very specific context such as the Italian Po valley, one of the three fundamental physical features that characterize the geographical aspect of the Italian peninsula, and in particular the historical city of Ferrara.
Investigating and writing architectural history: subjects, methodologies and frontiers. Papers from the Third EAHN International Meeting, 2014
The years when ‘Liber Septimus’ was in circulation, written by Sebastiano Serlio and posthumously... more The years when ‘Liber Septimus’ was in circulation, written by Sebastiano
Serlio and posthumously published in 1575 in Vienna, correspond to the
postseismic period of reconstruction in Ferrara. Pirro Ligorio directly investigates
the damages caused by the earthquake of 1570, describing a city
destroyed by collapsing, badly built, old medieval constructions, weakly put
together and with no substance. Sebastiano Serlio’s technical solutions and
practical rules – illustrated in the Seventh Book with examples where the
language of medieval architecture is updated with ‘modern’ solutions – perhaps
find in Ferrara one of their first cases of practical application, thanks
to the presence of architects like Aleotti, a faithful connoisseur of Serlio’s
writings (as well as Vignola’s), and to the treaty’s recognised value as an
operational tool. It was a treaty that ‘ha restituito l’Architettura, e fattala
facile ad ogniuno,’ as Jacopo Strada would later introduce it to readers in
editio princeps. The aim of this contribution is to investigate the relations
between Serlio’s theoretical and practical postulations and the reconstruction
and restoration that began in Ferrara in the 1570s, both in the field of
architectural heritage, and the field of basic building. The latter is a specific
object of study for the author, who devotes an important part of Book VII to
it. The contribution will develop various topics, in order: The city of Ferrara
before the earthquake of 1570: a typical medieval city; Exempla of modern
architecture in Ferrara: the sixteenth century palaces of the Herculean Addition;
Serlio’s Regola and architectural language in Ferrara: churches and
palaces at the end of the sixteenth century; Serlio’s Regola and construction
language in Ferrara: basic building at the end of the sixteenth century; Conclusions:
the importance of Serlio’s treaty in the reconstruction of Ferrara.
V. BALBONI, Il primo chiostro del Monastero di Sant’Antonio Abate in Polesine: note sulle vicende costruttive, in La città di Ferrara: architettura e restauro, Atti della Giornata di Studi (Ferrara, 26 settembre 2012), a cura di R. Dalla Negra, A. Ippoliti, 2014
Strategie e programmazione della conservazione e trasmissibilità del patrimonio culturale, 2013
Stima dei Beni di Cesare d'Este al momento della devoluzione. Affigurato di Alfonso Benmambri per il Cardinale Aldobrandini, 2012
sessione "La città frammentata. Da frammenti di edifici a frammenti di tessuto urbano: composizio... more sessione "La città frammentata. Da frammenti di edifici a frammenti di tessuto urbano: composizioni, scomposizioni e restauri"