X-Nico

5 unusual facts about Giovanni Antonio Antolini


Giovanni Antonio Antolini

In 1776, he assisted with the drainage of the Pontine Marshes but, after catching malaria, soon returned to Rome.

He designed grandiose Neoclassical projects such as the Foro Bonaparte in Milan, which was never executed, and plans for the Procuratie buildings on St Mark's Square in Venice, which were modified and completed by others.

He continued to author works on both hydraulics and architecture including proposals for straightening the River Topino in Umbria and designs for a bridge over the Tiber at Città di Castello.

After the French returned, it was rebuilt to celebrate the Battle of Marengo but was then again demolished.

In 1815, Antolini's plans for the rebuilding of the west end of St Mark's Square in Venice, where the old church of San Geminiano and extensions of the Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove were demolished as part of Napoleonic schemes for alterations to the Piazza, also ran into trouble.



see also