Architecture of Italy (Reference Guides to National Architecture)

Covering all regions of Italy—from Turin's Palace of Labor in northern Italy to the Monreale Cathedral and Cloister in Sicily—and all periods of Italian architecture—from the first-century Colosseum in Rome to the Casa Rustica apartments built in Milan in the 1930s—this volume examines over 70 of Italy's most important architectural landmarks. Writing in an authoritative yet engaging style, Jean Castex, professor of architectural history at the Versailles School of Architecture, describes the features, functions, and historical importance of each structure. Besides idetifying location, style, architects, and periods of initial construction and major renovations, the cross-referenced and illustrated entries also highlight architectural and historical terms explained in the Glossay and conclude with a useful listing of further information resources. The volume also offers ready-reference lists of entries by location, architectural style, and time period, as well as a general bibliography, a detailed subject index, and a comprehensive introductory overview of Italian architecture.

Entries cover major architectural structures as well as smaller sites, including everything from the well-known dome of St. Peter's at the Vatican to the Fiat Lingotto Plant in Turin. Ideal for college and high school students, as well as for interested general readers, this comprehensive look at the architecture of Italy is an indispensable addition to every architectural reference collection.

In this reference, Castex (architectural history, Versailles School of Architecture, France) has written fascinating accounts of emblematic works of Italian architecture from Roman times to the present. Presented alphabetically rather than chronologically, the entries for each monument offer the story of the purpose of the building, its patronage, the architect(s), its stylistic sources and later influences, the importance of the site (when relevant), the political and religious context, and details about its construction. The volume is illustrated with b&w photos and plans and includes a glossary. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

One of Europe's foremost architectural historians offers insightful analyses of some of Italy's most significant architectural structures, from Roman temples to twentieth- century apartment buildings.

Covering all regions of Italy--from Turin's Palace of Labor in northern Italy to the Monreale Cathedral and Cloister in Sicily--and all periods of Italian architecture--from the first-century Colosseum in Rome to the Casa Rustica apartments built in Milan in the 1930s--this volume examines over 70 of Italy's most important architectural landmarks. Writing in an authoritative yet engaging style, Jean Castex, professor of architectural history at the Versailles School of Architecture, describes the features, functions, and historical importance of each structure. Besides identifying location, style, architects, and periods of initial construction and major renovations, the cross-referenced and illustrated entries also highlight architectural and historical terms explained in the Glossary and conclude with a useful listing of further information sources.

JEAN CASTEX is an architect and professor of architectural history at the Versailles School of Architecture, where he has served as president of the faculty. Professor Castex graduated from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1968 and was awarded a doctorate from Paris VIII University in 1997 with a thesis on the seventeenth-century French architect Francois Mansart. He has published several books and articles on urban studies, including Urban Forms, the Death and Life of the Urban Block (1977), which he authored with Ph. Panerai and J. Ch. Depaule. His 1989 book on architecture of the fifteenth through the nineteenth centuries, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicisme, 1420-1720, was re-edited in 2004 and has been translated into Dutch and Spanish.